Insufficient institutional control of the election campaign
Transparency Serbia (official chapter of Transparency International) indicates that the campaign for the presidential election takes place with even weaker oversight by state institutions than it was in previous electoral processes. The period from April last year to calling of elections was not used to resolve any of the issues discussed by the experts in Serbia, including TS and monitoring missions of OSCE and the Council of Europe. In addition, the campaign in 2017 has produced to an even greater extent than previously, challenges for which there is not only no institutional control, but there are no clear rules, like collecting of "safe votes" on-line campaign and social networks and advertising before calling of the elections.
Parliament failed to meet its legal obligation to form a supervisory committee this year as well. While a year ago the President of the Assembly invited the Government and the parliamentary groups to submit proposals for members of that body and proposal was given by three parties, now Transparency received answer to the request by the Assembly that "in 2017 documents that contain such information have not been received nor registered". Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM previously RRA) hasn’t examined voluntarily whether TV and radio stations enable advertising under the same financial terms. Now this regulator made a big step backwards - with the announcement that he will not even collect statistics on the proportion of representation of certain candidates in commercials and news programs. For the 2016 elections, such inspection was made, but not published. Anticorruption Agency, which should control the legality of campaign financing and misuse of public office, acts for years with incomplete Committee, and in recent months, even without a director, which raises the possibility of political pressures. The Republic Electoral Commission is working in a composition that is not in accordance with the provisions of Art. 29 para. 4 of the Law on the Election of Deputies, which exposes its decision to risk. Moreover, announced control by the relevant international institutions is even lower. TS recalls that among the recommendations of the OSCE from 2016 -whose fulfillment was asked of Serbia by the European Commission in its annual report - inter alia states the need to prevent abuse of public office in the election campaign, improving the rules on campaign financing and control by the Agency, as well as increasing powers and duties of REM for campaign control.
We emphasize that Transparency - Serbia, within the limits of their capabilities, as well as in previous electoral processes will monitor the scope of "official's campaign" that is, supposedly regular activities of public officials to be taken just in the time of the campaign. No doubt, this type of providing free promotion in news and other programs is worth significantly more than any paid advertising. A current legal prohibition applies only to certain part of these abuses, but they are not being sanctioned even in this segment (e. g. Use of official vehicles for political promotion events, when it comes to officials that enjoy special security protection).
Transparency Serbia
Belgrade, 17 March 2017.
