Opposition in Serbia Calls for Criminal Penalties for Voter Relocation

Ana Gođevac, a member of the Commission for the Revision of the Voter List from the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), has called for the introduction of new criminal offenses and severe penalties for relocating voters solely to cast ballots. Gođevac stated that "election tourism" must become a distinct criminal offense in Serbia. She accused the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of moving voters, especially those from socially vulnerable categories, to wherever votes are needed. Opposition members and associations within the Commission are reportedly gathering evidence of these actions.

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Election tourism must become a distinct criminal offense in Serbia. It is necessary to introduce a new criminal offense and strict penalties for relocating voters solely for the purpose of voting, and we are witnessing the progressives moving voters, especially socially vulnerable categories, wherever they lack votes.

Gođevac pointed to the 2023 Belgrade elections as a stark example of the dangers of treating voters as commodities that can be moved and registered to influence election outcomes. She argued that individuals who do not reside in Belgrade decided the city's leadership, disenfranchising actual Belgrade residents. In contrast to Serbia, Gođevac noted that such abuses are treated as criminal offenses, not mere administrative oversights, in European nations. She criticized the Serbian government's attempts to legitimize these actions by simply ensuring a voter's name appears on the electoral roll.

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People who do not live in Belgrade decided who will govern our city, while Belgrade residents were deprived of the right to decide their own future.