Serbia’s general election was well run, but the dominance of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the lack of media diversity left the voters without a real choice, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) wrote in a statement on June 22.

Serbia held its first regular general election after four early votes on June 21 and, according to data from the election committee based on 70.57% of all votes counted SNS gained around 62% support, which will secure the party nearly 200 of the 250 seats in parliament.

“While contestants in Serbia’s parliamentary elections were able to campaign and fundamental freedoms were respected, voter choice was limited by the governing party’s overwhelming advantage and the promotion of government policies by most major media outlets,” the ODIHR statement reads.

Urszula Gacek, head of ODIHR’s special election assessment mission, commented that the SNS’ dominance poses a risk to the neutrality of the country’s democratic institutions.

So far, only two other parties seem to have passed the 3% threshold – the current junior coalition partner of the SNS, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), led by Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, and the party led by former water polo player Aleksandar Sapic.

The statement also noted that Serbia’s legislation allows democratic elections, but the country has not addressed many issues, including areas such as election administration, media, campaign finance, dispute resolution and sanctions for electoral violations.

“The election was characterised by intense political polarisation, amidst a boycott by a considerable section of the opposition. In addition, the dual role of the president as leader of the ruling party has increasingly blurred the line between his official duties and the election campaign, in breach of the commitment made by all OSCE countries to keep a clear separation between the state and political parties,” it noted.

The election campaign was rather unusual as just a few rallies were organised due to health concerns following the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The most active campaign was in media and on social media. However, according to the ODIHR, most major TV channels and newspapers promoted government policy, and the few media outlets offering alternative views have limited outreach.

Meanwhile, the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament called on EU member states to not open new chapters in accession talks with Serbia “before sufficient democracy has been restored in the country”.

“No new chapters should be opened with Serbia by the Council before the major problems with democracy are solved in the country. As a minimum, we need free media and a diverse parliament, where opposition is represented,” Kati Piri, the party's vice-president for foreign affairs, said in the statement.

Tonino Picula, S&D’s foreign affairs committee spokesperson, added that, as the election was boycotted by the main opposition parties and no opposition party will enter parliament, Serbia’s parliament has lost its role as a legislative body that represents the whole of Serbian society.

S&D also said that the democracy level in Serbia has deteriorated significantly following the June 21 vote.