The Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, called on Thursday 6 February for all political parties in Serbia to participate in the parliamentary elections on 26 April. A few days ago, the major opposition parties signed a ‘boycott declaration’, saying that there are no fair conditions for the elections.
“I call on all parties to participate in the elections (...) Democracy can only work when all parties take part in the campaign, vote and participate in the next parliament”, he told the media in Belgrade.
According to him, the Serbian Parliament is currently working on the conditions for free elections and will soon appoint the two missing members of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media.
“Last-minute changes in the electoral law are not always the best way to start a campaign period”, he acknowledged, but said the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament had explained that he had the support of the entire Parliament.
For her part, the Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, Tanja Fajon (S&D, Slovenia), described media freedom as a “key precondition”. In her view, everything possible must be done to restore confidence in the institutions and create the conditions for fair and democratic elections and for professional, free and pluralistic media.
“As the election approaches, every opportunity must be used to make this election a success. Until the last day before the elections, every opportunity should be used to ensure that all those who can participate in the elections do so, be they political actors or the public”, added Parliament rapporteur on Serbia, Vladimir Bilčik (EPP, Slovakia).
Mr Várhelyi also warned that it would be important, after the elections, to have a strong majority in the Serbian Parliament in order to continue reforms, including the reform of the judiciary, which requires a change of the formation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)