KRIK alleges that a Serbian association offered politically conditional registration help while some voters struggled with consular applications, ahead of Serbia’s October 25 parliamentary election.
A Serbian association in Vienna collected overseas voter-registration paperwork specifically for supporters of President Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party, a KRIK investigation alleges. OCCRP published the findings on October 21, describing assistance conditional on political support while some Serbian voters in Austria reported difficulty registering through official consular channels.
According to the report, Serbian election law reserves overseas registration to Serbia’s diplomatic missions. The Association of Serbs in Austria is an Austrian-registered nongovernmental organization with no authority to collect registration materials on Serbian authorities’ behalf. Registration determines whether these citizens can vote abroad rather than travel to Serbia.
Several Serbians living in Austria told KRIK that consular phones went unanswered, appointments were difficult to obtain and applicants were turned away over missing paperwork. One applicant said her application was rejected as incomplete and then rejected again without explanation after follow-up and formal appeals. She would consequently need to travel to Serbia to vote.
KRIK obtained three recordings made by applicants, along with messages and association flyers. According to OCCRP’s account of the recordings, association staff handled paperwork in less than five minutes: they copied identity documents, completed forms and took telephone numbers to send confirmation once registration cleared through the Serbian embassy. Applicants were also asked for contact numbers of relatives and friends likely to support the ruling party.
In one recording, a male speaker said the association communicated only with Vučić supporters. In another, a speaker asked an applicant whom he would vote for and told him that supporters of opponents would have to register elsewhere. A representative also said in a recorded telephone call that supporters could bring other applicants’ identity documents without those people being present, the report said.
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Attorney Vladimir Tupanjac, who has monitored Serbian elections alongside the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability, told KRIK that the reported conduct was unlawful. He cited political-finance restrictions barring civic associations and foreign legal entities from campaigning, assisting voters or distributing party promotional materials, as well as a requirement for voters to submit registration applications personally. This is Tupanjac’s legal assessment, not a court finding.
Andrej Leskovac, identified by KRIK as the main contact for applicants in the recordings, denied that the association handled registrations or forms. He said its work was humanitarian, that people registered at the embassy and that the association had no official link to the embassy or ruling party.
The Serbian Embassy in Vienna did not answer questions about the association’s registration role and referred reporters to Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not reply. The Serbian Progressive Party also did not respond to questions, OCCRP reported.
The number of registrations processed through the association and any effect on election results remain unknown. Serbia’s parliamentary election is scheduled for Sunday, October 25.
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