Belgrade – In a move that could make it harder for Serbians living abroad to cast ballots, the country’s election commission announced that overseas voting hours will mirror the domestic 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. window. The decision, made on Monday, applies to all 93 polling stations set up in diplomatic missions and other venues worldwide.
Impact on diaspora communities
Under the new schedule, voters in Chicago – home to a sizable Serbian community – would need to vote between 1 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time. Serbians in parts of Australia and New Zealand would be asked to vote overnight, according to the commission’s guidelines.
Legal expert and commission member Sofija Mandic told N1 television that the changes ignore opposition requests for more polling stations in North America, Europe and Australia, potentially closing the door for more than 26,000 voters. She added that the foreign ministry appears to be selecting locations based on assumptions about how people will vote.
Government response
Foreign Minister Marko Djuric rebutted the criticism on X, saying the placement of polling stations was guided not only by the number of registered voters but also by logistical, security, spatial and staffing considerations.
David Krstic, another commission member, highlighted the difficulty for voters in Vancouver, where nearly 1,300 people have applied to vote but no station has been assigned. Those voters would have to travel roughly 3,500 km to the nearest stations in Toronto or Ottawa.
Election backdrop
The changes come as Serbia prepares for a key parliamentary election on Oct. 25. Populist leader Aleksandar Vucic, who resigned as president on Sept. 27 after two years of protests, is seeking to return as prime minister and lead the Serbian Progressive Party.
Analysts expect a tight race and high turnout, which could benefit the student‑led “Student List” ticket that grew out of protests sparked by a 2024 train station collapse that killed 16 people in Novi Sad. Vucic remains popular among Bosnian Serbs, and his ally Milorad Dodik has advocated for greater autonomy for Republika Srpska.
Election officials estimate that at least 100,000 citizens have applied to vote abroad, nearly three times the number in 2023. While the number of overseas polling stations has increased by 12, nine of the new sites are in neighboring Bosnia, which will host 28 of the 93 stations – about 30% of the total.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
