DistantNews
Support us
🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Serbia’s election commission faces accusations of legal abuse over new voting screens

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Serbia’s Republican Electoral Commission selected a bidder to supply 30,000 voting screens for upcoming elections.
  • Commission members criticized the decision as legally improper and questioned the urgent, noncompetitive procurement process and the supplier’s capacity.
  • The commission president said the new screens would improve ballot secrecy and described the procedural criticisms as false.

A decision to purchase 30,000 voting screens for Serbia’s upcoming elections has split the Republican Electoral Commission, with critics calling the procurement “legal abuse” and a bad sign before the vote.

This is legal abuse and a bad sign for physical violence at the upcoming elections.

· Tanasije MarinkovićThe RIK member criticized the procurement decision and linked it to concerns about the election climate.

The commission said the first-ranked bidder had submitted the most favorable offer. Government representatives presented the purchase as an implementation of a recommendation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, or ODIHR. Some participants at the meeting rejected that explanation and demanded that the decision be withdrawn.

Commission member Tanasije Marinković said there was no basis for the decision or for using an urgent procedure without a public tender. “This will not improve the secrecy of voting, but will encourage people to photograph their ballots. ODIHR only said that the shape of the screens was unsuitable, while the current shape was chosen arbitrarily,” he said.

This will not improve the secrecy of voting, but will encourage people to photograph their ballots. ODIHR only said that the shape of the screens was unsuitable, while the current shape was chosen arbitrarily.

· Tanasije MarinkovićMarinković disputed the government’s claim that the purchase implemented an ODIHR recommendation.

Commission member Sofija Mandić said the supplier selection “looks like serious scheming” and suggested the contract may have been arranged in advance. She questioned a deal worth about 7 million euros for 30,000 screens, saying the selected company’s budget last year was 13 times smaller than the contract and that it normally serviced air conditioners. “In this way, even a child could submit a bid,” Mandić said, warning that commission members who approved the decision could face corruption proceedings.

In this way, even a child could submit a bid.

· Sofija MandićMandić criticized the selected supplier and the transparency of the procurement process.

RIK President Vladimir Dimitrijević defended the purchase, saying the screens would strengthen ballot secrecy and that their design was used in many Western European countries. He said the existing screens were covered on three sides, while the new version would add a curtain on the side facing the wall. He rejected the procedural objections as “absolutely untrue.”

Absolutely untrue.

· Vladimir DimitrijevićThe RIK president rejected criticism of the procurement procedure.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog