ELECTIONS

Approaching changes in the electoral legislation in Serbia

Later in 2007, CeSID, supported by OEBS Mission to Serbia, commenced the project ‘Approaching changes in the electoral legislation in Serbia’, which refers to the improvement of the existing electoral legislation. Project activities will continue in 2008 helped and supported by Institute for Sustainable Communities.

The project is intended to give contribution to democratization of Serbian society and creation of a better normative framework that defines the electoral process. This is achievable through raising the awareness among experts and relevant state institutions of how different normative resolutions may influence subjects of the electoral process (political parties, minorities and other marginalized groups), but also through establishing partnerships with experts in this field, representatives of civil society, political parties and the community we live in.

Thus, CeSID is planning to carry out a set of activities on three levels that will lead to a better electoral normative.

Besides gathering a team of acknowledged experts that will be working on the analysis of electoral legislation and on making recommendations, CeSID’s representatives will be engaged in advocating proposed amendments to electoral laws before civil sector organizations and before other experts and expert organizations. Also, partnerships with these target groups will be established with the aim of promoting the need for electoral reforms.

Parallel with the process of advocating CeSID will work on attracting public support for the proposed solutions through constant informing of the public and organizing public debates.

Third level of activities is lobbying for change of electoral normative with decision makers-political parties and public institutions.

So far an analysis of electoral laws has been conducted with recommendations for their improvement. Also, three round tables have been held (in Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad) where the identified problems were presented and possible solutions debated. The next step towards the achievement of the project goal includes 12 public debates in towns round Serbia (Nis, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Sombor, Pancevo, Cacak, Kraljevo, Zajecar, Jagodina, Pirot, Valjevo, Zrenjanin, Sremska Mitrovica, Beograd and Smederevo).