Serbia ties overseas voting to local time, a move likely to spark backlash ahead of a key election
Critics said the move could force more than 26,000 diaspora voters to cast ballots at night and cut turnout abroad.
- On Monday, the Republic Electoral Commission adopted standardized voting hours based on Central European Time, forcing diaspora voters in countries like Australia and the United States to cast ballots during local nighttime hours.
- The decision arrives as the governing Serbian Progressive Party faces its strongest challenge since 2012 from the opposition Student List, which emerged from a student-led protest movement.
- Voters in Australia and China face particularly limited access: RIK approved only one polling station in Beijing for all of China, while Australian voting is restricted to Melbourne and Sydney despite more than 100 registrations in Brisbane.
- RIK member Ivan Sebek warned the arrangement "restricts voters' rights and effectively cutting the time available to exercise their right to vote in half," while Vladimir Dragas called it "completely illegal."
- Nemanja Djurovic predicted the timing will "significantly reduce turnout" in Australia, arguing authorities aim to prevent negative results from eastern polling stations from affecting the governing party.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Associated Press News
Serbia ties overseas voting to local time, a move likely to spark backlash ahead of a key election
Serbia's election commission has tied overseas voting hours to local time, affecting the Serbian diaspora's ability to vote in the upcoming election later this month.
Serbs Abroad May Have to Vote Overnight Under New Election Rule
New rule obliging voters abroad to follow polling hours based on Central European Time means some diaspora Serbians in countries like the US and Australia will have to cast ballots in the middle of the night.
Today, the Republic Election Commission (REC) adopted a decision on determining the opening and closing times of polling stations abroad, according to which those stations will be open in Central European time from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In some countries, overseas polls will open overnight. The article Serbia: Obstacles to Diaspora Voting Ahead of Elections appeared first on Documento.
The Serbian State Election Commission (RIK) announced that voting at 93 polling stations abroad in the early general election on October 25 will take place according to Serbian time. Voters abroad will be able to cast their ballots between 07:00 and 20:00 Serbian time.
Serbs in the US and Australia will vote in the elections at night. The majority in the Republican Election Commission (REC) decided on Monday that polling stations outside Serbia will operate during the same hours as those in the country, the BBC reported....
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