Serbian Opposition Claims "Unprecedented Election Theft" Amid Citizenship Grants

Dr. Dragan Milić, president of the Movement for Decentralization of Serbia, has accused the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of orchestrating "unprecedented election theft." Milić alleges that the party is creating a fictitious voter list by granting citizenship to a large number of individuals who do not reside in Serbia. This, he claims, is the first step in a plan to manipulate upcoming elections.

According to data obtained from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), Serbian authorities have granted a total of 238,890 citizenships between January 1, 2015, and August 27, 2025. This averages to more than 60 citizenships being issued daily over the past decade. Milić highlighted that the MUP's response indicated that 202,787 of these individuals were granted citizenship based on Article 23, Paragraph 1 of the Citizenship Law, which pertains to the admission of persons of Serbian nationality.

“

preparing unprecedented election theft

Milić expressed concern over the lack of transparency, stating that the MUP failed to provide data on how many new citizenships were issued in the last year. He suspects significant misuse of the process. The MUP's response also noted that it does not possess data on the nationality of individuals granted citizenship under other legal grounds, as such information is not required for those applications.

The Ministry outlined various legal bases for acquiring Serbian citizenship, including birth in Serbia, refugee status, expatriate status, regaining citizenship, marriage to a Serbian citizen, and international agreements, in addition to the admission of persons of Serbian nationality. Milić's claims raise serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the criteria for granting citizenship in Serbia.

“

This Ministry does not have data on the nationality of persons admitted to Serbian citizenship on other legal grounds, as self-declaration of nationality is not required when applying on other legal grounds.