The American ambassador in Belgrade: Serbia to address the shortcomings in the elections

2023-12-22 13:44:52, Kosova & Bota CNA

The American ambassador in Belgrade: Serbia to address the shortcomings in the

American Ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill

The US ambassador to Belgrade, Christopher Hill, said Thursday that Serbia must work to address shortcomings in the election process found by international observers.

In a message published on the "X" network, known until recently as "Twitter", Ambassador Hill said that international observers and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have found a number of shortcomings in the December 17 elections in Serbia.

"It is very important that Serbia works with the OSCE, with international observers to address these issues. Elections are essential for the democratic process... Serbia must resolve these issues in the institutions", said Ambassador Hill.

He said that the American government expects to continue working with the government of Serbia "on issues of common interest that include regional issues, but also Serbia's aim to be part of the family of Western nations".

The mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said at the beginning of the week that "the pressure on voters, the decisive engagement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, as well as the priorities of the ruling party have damaged the electoral process as a whole".

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday that "allegations of impropriety reported by the OSCE and the monitoring team must be investigated, and the violence against election officials, journalists and accredited observers that we have seen reported is unacceptable and we will continue to make this clear to Serbia".

High officials of the European Union meanwhile said that the electoral process in Serbia should be significantly improved, while emphasizing that "the proper functioning of Serbia's democratic institutions is at the core of its membership process in the bloc".

Government officials insisted that the early weekend elections were free and fair despite criticism and political tensions after the polls.

The opposition coalition "Serbia against violence" has asked the European institutions not to recognize the results of the parliamentary, provincial and especially local elections in Serbia, until a full international investigation into the irregularities during the voting is completed.

European officials have yet to comment on the opposition's request, which said the European Union should seize the opportunity to support Serbia's citizens who seek democracy and fundamental European values. If you don't, then I will deal a heavy blow to any prospect of a democratic Serbia as a future member of the bloc.

Serbia opened EU membership talks under President Aleksandar Vucic, but the opposition accuses the bloc of turning a blind eye to the country's democratic shortcomings in exchange for stability in the Balkan region.

The opening of talks in 2014 followed an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo on the normalization of relations, which was never fully implemented./ VOA