BIRODI: Vučić's resignation announcement confirms need to separate presidential and party roles

The Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI) in Serbia has welcomed President Aleksandar Vučić's announcement of resignation before the election campaign, viewing it as validation for their long-standing demand to separate the presidential office from party politics. BIRODI stated that such a move would align Vučić with constitutional requirements and international electoral standards.

“

the announcement of President Aleksandar Vučić that he will resign before the start of the election campaign confirms the justification of the demands of this organization for the separation of the function of the President of the Republic from party and electoral activities.

The organization highlighted that the president's role should embody national unity, and stepping down from party leadership would help fulfill this duty. They also pointed to the ODIHR's recommendation for separating state and ruling party functions, suggesting Vučić's potential resignation would address this priority.

“

by resigning, Vučić would break the current practice of violating Article 111 of the Constitution of Serbia and Article 40 of the Law on Prevention of Corruption and start acting in accordance with the first priority recommendation of ODIHR on the separation of the state and the ruling party.

Furthermore, BIRODI stressed that the acceptance of election results should not hinge on politicians' statements but on the process's verifiability. They called for the implementation of election forensics, a method that uses data analysis to identify irregularities at polling stations and justify further scrutiny. This requires making comprehensive, machine-readable results available, along with scanned records and metadata, to ensure transparency and trust in the electoral system.

“

acceptance of election results must not depend on trust in the statements of political actors, but on the verifiability of the electoral process.