PROPOSAL FOR REFORM OF ELECTORAL ADMINISTRATION IN SERBIA

PREDLOG ZA PROMENU IZBORNE ADMINISTRACIJE U SRBIJI

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English,Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; Elections

Serbia’s electoral procedures and electoral administration are fraught with a number of challengesthat recur in each electoral cycle. Legislation is inconsistent, meaning that efforts must be made toalign and harmonise all electoral regulations – including aligning the powers of the various electoralbodies and the deadlines that must be met, as wellas the multitude of laws, byelaws, and regulations– so as to avoid mutually contradictory actions anddecisions.

Recommendations for political campaign finance

Preporuke za finansiranje izbornih kampanja

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English,Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; Elections

Political finance is comprehensively regulated bythe 2011 Political Finance Law (PFL) and its limited amendments enacted in 2014. This piece of legislation governs both general financing of politicalparties and campaign finance. The preceding Political Party Finance Law had been enacted in 2003and entered into effect on 1 January 2014; its keyshortcoming was the lack of clear and robust control arrangements, as its oversight was entrustedto entities directly linked to political parties, theParliamentary Finance Committee (in matters ofregular financing) and the National Electoral Commission, or NEC (in election campaigns).

Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance - A Serious Threat to the Achieved Level of Rights!

Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance - A Serious Threat to the Achieved Level of Rights!

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government (hereinafter: the Ministry) is conducting a public debate on the Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance (hereinafter: the Draft) from 27 May to 16 June 2021. The published Draft contains a number of controversial solutions, i.e. provisions that are in conflict with the constitutional guarantee that the achieved level of rights cannot be reduced. The Draft not only prescribes additional grounds for restricting the right to free access to information, expands the circle of entities that are exempt from the application of the Law and increases the number of bodies against whose decisions an appeal is not allowed, but also literally “erases” the priority of the public’s right to know from the legal text. Finally, the Draft does not offer solutions to any of the burning problems that have been highlighted countless times to date, both by the Commissioner and the professional public.

Attorneys in the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutorial Council – Risks of Conflict of Interest

Attorneys in the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutorial Council – Risks of Conflict of Interest

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

In February 2021, the Serbian Bar Association published a list of candidates from the ranks of attorneys who were nominated for membership in the High Judicial Council (HJC) and the State Prosecutorial Council (SPC). Attorneys who act as defence councils in certain active cases that have caused great anxiety among the citizens, are also among them. The National Assembly has yet to discuss the proposed candidates and decide on the election. The current chairman of the competent parliamentary committee is also an attorney and defence counsel in active cases, as well as an ex officio member of both judicial councils. // With this short analysis, the prEUgovor coalition is attempting to compensate for this shortcoming and offer possible solutions.

Organizing and producing televised candidate debates: A Guide

Priručnik za organizaciju izbirnih TV debata

Author(s): Bojan Klačar,Zoran Stanojević / Language(s): English,Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; Elections: Debates

Debates between candidates for elected office raise issues of crucial importance to the public. In them politicians talk directly to one another to present their political positions and explain their manifestos, contributing to the improvement of general standards of knowledge in the course of an election campaign and allowing members of the public to make informed decisions about who to vote for. Debates promote discussion of details by carefully placing key elements in focus, as necessitated by the time constraints imposed by the moderator. Debates also promote personal and political accountability of political stakeholders, improve communication with voters, and strengthen the transparency of politics. Since 2012, the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) and the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS) have been organizing a series of debates titled Reč na reč (‘Word for Word’), with the main goal of promoting a culture of political dialogue by promoting well-argued discussion in a thematically focused television format. These programs have found broad acceptance amongst the public and achieved impressive ratings, with broadcasts of national-level candidate debates reaching a particularly broad audience. The debates also received the highest praise from media professionals, and have also been commended by the Commission on Presidential Debates of Washington, DC, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for their selflessness in conveying their knowledge and experience.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Bilateral Relations with Turkey

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Bilateral Relations with Turkey

Author(s): Nerkez Opacin / Language(s): English

The main focus of this research is to closely examine and analyze the extent of bilateral relations between Republic of Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The methodology is based on analyzing the general definition of international relations as an introduction, followed by a synopsis of bilateral relations between these two countries, whilst the main focus will be placed on the current state of economic cooperation.

Perceptions and Attitudes of the Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards Terrorism and the Role of International Security Organisations

Perceptions and Attitudes of the Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards Terrorism and the Role of International Security Organisations

Author(s): Vladimir Obradović / Language(s): English

Keywords: Terrorism;

The survey of the perceptions and attitudes of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) towards terrorism and the roles of international security organisations (NATO, SFOR) comparatively encompassed subjects from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS). Due to the content of the research only male subjects have been included, which we selected by a systematic, stratification sample, dependent upon telephone number in each individual canton. The control of the accuracy of the samples and the analysis of the results afterwards was conducted according to the variables of age, work experience and nationality. Besides this, we conducted focus groups that involved interviewing journalists, officers, professors, faculty assistants and students. The commentary and content of the discussion made possible a qualitative approach in the investigation.

Seminar: Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Partnership for Peace

Seminar: Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Partnership for Peace

Author(s): . Miscellaneous / Language(s): English

Financing of political parties - Between norm and practice

Finansiranje političkih partija - Između norme i prakse

Author(s): Miodrag Milosavljević,Đorđe Vuković,Zoran Stojiljković,Srećko Mihajlović,Ana Stojiljković,Ivo Čolović,Nemanja Cocić / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: political party financing; Serbia; Elections

The models of political party financing that can be found in the literature are based on answers to five questions: "Are there limits on the amount of funds that parties have the right to collect and spend?", "Are there limits on the sources from which funds can be collected and the services and goods on which they can be spent?", "To which body should the control of political party financing be entrusted?" and "Should parties be financed from public sources and to what extent?" After monitoring the implementation of the Law on Financing Political Parties and a series of ten held round tables and consultations with experts, representatives of political parties, international organizations, media and non-governmental organizations, the team of the Open Society Fund and the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) tried to consolidate recommendations for improving the system of financing political parties in Serbia. The recommendations are based on research, data and opinions presented in the public hearing process and attempt to answer the questions raised.

EFFICIENT MUNICIPAL MANAGER

EFIKASAN OPŠTINSKI MENADŽER

Author(s): Mirjana Simić,Katarina Simić,Miloš Mojsilović,Vukašin Sarajlić,Miloš Hrnjaz / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: self-government; local economic; municipal manager; informed citizens; Serbia

The brochure in front of you is the result of the Center for Free Elections and Democracy project »Efficient municipal manager and active and informed citizens - a step forward towards more developed municipalities«. The main goal of the mentioned project is, on the one hand, to improve the role of the municipal manager, and on the other hand, to raise the awareness of citizens about the importance of issues such as, for example, local economic development and efficient management of local self-government units.

Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) Election Monitoring Mission Preliminary Report

Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) Election Monitoring Mission Preliminary Report

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English

Keywords: Election Irregularities; Voter Register Concerns; Political Dialogue; Media Access Imbalance; Polling Process Issues

Limited progress was observed with the quality of the election process relative to the December 2023 elections, as political dialogue produced some success in reducing the extent of systemic irregularities on election day. CeSID recommends continued robust activities to implement the recommendations of both international and local election monitors, coupled with greater engagement by the governing coalition. Capacity- building is required for local electoral commissions and polling boards, and any doubts over the accuracy and up-to-dateness of the voter register also ought to be dispelled.

Violent extremism and youth

Nasilni ekstremizam i mladi

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Youth; Violent extremism; Democracy; Security; Media

The research was conducted in the period between 23.08. and 10.09.2023. with young citizens of Serbia, on a representative sample of 1000 young people, aged 15 to 30.

(Un)proven Irregularities: Election dispute resolution

(Un)proven Irregularities: Election dispute resolution

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English

Keywords: Election Dispute Resolution; Electoral Justice; Irregularities; Transparency; Legal Framework

The survey (Un)proven Irregularities: Election dispute resolution in the 2023 election is the third such study stemming from CeSID’s work on electoral justice in Serbia. The first assessment of this kind, Electoral Justice: Here, Now, Tomorrow [The case of Serbia] was published in the spring of 2021 and aimed at highlighting the importance of election dispute resolution as a key pillar of the electoral process and, more specifically, deepen knowledge of this area, acquaint the public with safeguards, help build capacity of political parties and organisations, and point to priority areas for future strategic and practical interventions. The 2021 study identified prime concerns for ongoing work, and these, together with developments on the Serbian political scene (the boycott of the election, inter-party dialogue, legal amendments, and the April 2022 election) informed a second detailed survey, Election Disputes in Serbia: So what do we do now? [April 2022 elections], published by CeSID in 2022. This report sought to assess the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and equity of Serbia’s election dispute resolution process after the adoption and first application of the set of new election laws, as well as to aid in empowering political organisations and election contestants to take part in the process and help the general public and civil society better understand electoral procedures and safeguards.

Institutes for culture of Vojvodina Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, Ruthenians and Croats

Zavodi za kulturu vojvođanskih Mađara, Slovaka, Rumuna, Rusina i Hrvata

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; national minorities; intercultural relations

The Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) conducted research with the idea of ​​looking at the activities of institutes based on modern digital forms and new technologies through the findings of empirical research. Digital forms and new technologies make the culture and languages ​​of national minorities more accessible to all citizens and greatly influence the development of intercultural relations.

Perception of corruption at universities in Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia: Students' perspectives

Percepcija korupcije na univerzitetima u Albaniji, Severnoj Makedoniji i Srbiji: Perspektive studenata

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: student; corruption; Universities

This comprehensive document provides details derived from our survey of student perceptions, which was conducted in May this year across Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. The research was conducted on a total sample of 943 students from all three fields, that is, in Serbia, the research was conducted on a sample of 300 students at the universities in Kragujevac, Novi Sad and Belgrade.

YOUTH SAFETY: reducing risk through awareness - research findings and recommendations

BEZBEDNOST MLADIH: smanjenje rizika kroz podizanje svesti – nalazi iz istraživanja i preporuke

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: violence ; psychological violence;

Research among young people aged 15-30 showed that peer violence is the most frequent security risk - a total of 23% of young people say that peer violence is often or very often in their environment. This is followed by traffic accidents (15%), i.e. fights/violent incidents and drug users or sellers in public places (14% each). The survey also showed that 87% of respondents feel mostly or completely safe in the country of Serbia. Respondents feel safest in their own home and the further away they are from their personal space – neighborhood, school/workplace and city where they live – the less safe they feel.The largest percentage of young people states that they have heard of some violence in their area (48%), while 12% of young people are personally familiar with the violence that occurs in their area. Among the investigated forms of violence, young people in Serbia most often state that they have experienced psychological violence. Thus, 15% of those surveyed say that they have experienced psychological violence one or more times, and the frequency of experiencing this type of violence is significantly higher among women.

Safety for diversity: the most important safety risks faced by young people in multi-ethnic environments : BUJANOVAC

Bezbednost za različitost: najvažniji bezbednosni rizici sa kojima se suočavaju mladi u multietničkim sredinama : BUJANOVAC

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: multi-ethnic municipalities; Bujanovac; Subotica; Novi Pazar; security public policies

Research on the most important security challenges faced by young people was conducted in three multi-ethnic municipalities - Bujanovac, Subotica and Novi Pazar, as part of the Safety for Diversity project, which CeSID is implementing from June to November 2022. The overall goal of the project is to evaluate the implementation of local security public policies in these three local self-government units, to identify key security challenges and to determine the youth's perception of security at the local level.

Safety for diversity: the most important safety risks faced by young people in multi-ethnic environments : SUBOTICA

Bezbednost za različitost: najvažniji bezbednosni rizici sa kojima se suočavaju mladi u multietničkim sredinama : SUBOTICA

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: multi-ethnic municipalities; Bujanovac; Subotica; Novi Pazar; security public policies

Research on the most important security challenges faced by young people was conducted in three multi-ethnic municipalities - Bujanovac, Subotica and Novi Pazar, as part of the Safety for Diversity project, which CeSID is implementing from June to November 2022. The overall goal of the project is to evaluate the implementation of local security public policies in these three local self-government units, to identify key security challenges and to determine the youth's perception of security at the local level.

Safety for diversity: the most important safety risks faced by young people in multi-ethnic environments: SUBOTICA / NOVI PAZAR / BUJANOVAC

Bezbednost za različitost: najvažniji bezbednosni rizici sa kojima se suočavaju mladi u multietničkim sredinama: SUBOTICA / NOVI PAZAR / BUJANOVAC

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: multi-ethnic municipalities; Bujanovac; Subotica; Novi Pazar; security public policies

Research on the most important security challenges faced by young people was conducted in three multi-ethnic municipalities - Bujanovac, Subotica and Novi Pazar, as part of the Safety for Diversity project, which CeSID is implementing from June to November 2022. The overall goal of the project is to evaluate the implementation of local security public policies in these three local self-government units, to identify key security challenges and to determine the youth's perception of security at the local level.

Safety for diversity: the most important safety risks faced by young people in multi-ethnic environments : NOVI PAZAR

Bezbednost za različitost: najvažniji bezbednosni rizici sa kojima se suočavaju mladi u multietničkim sredinama : NOVI PAZAR

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: multi-ethnic municipalities; Bujanovac; Subotica; Novi Pazar; security public policies

Research on the most important security challenges faced by young people was conducted in three multi-ethnic municipalities - Bujanovac, Subotica and Novi Pazar, as part of the Safety for Diversity project, which CeSID is implementing from June to November 2022. The overall goal of the project is to evaluate the implementation of local security public policies in these three local self-government units, to identify key security challenges and to determine the youth's perception of security at the local level.