Audit Finds 500,000 Serbian Voter Records Lacking Addresses Before October 25 Ballot

An audit by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service found that approximately 500,000 registered voters in Serbia lack complete street addresses in the official electoral registry. These records are missing specific street names or house numbers, leaving a large portion of the electorate with incomplete contact details on the day of the vote. The findings emerged just two days before the October 25 parliamentary election.

The investigation also identified hundreds of voters listed at public facilities, including social welfare centers. Other records placed multiple individuals at residential addresses that could not logically accommodate that many people. These data gaps mirror suspicions raised during the 2023 election, where international observers documented irregularities such as the transport of voters from Bosnia-Hercegovina and instances of intimidation.

Aleksandar Vucic, who has led Serbian politics for fourteen years, is running for the position of prime minister in this contest. He resigned as president in late September to avoid a third term in that role. Vucic previously held the premiership from 2014 to 2017. His ruling party now faces a challenge from a student-led opposition movement that gained momentum following widespread protests.

Current polling indicates the electorate is deeply split between the ruling coalition and the student movement. Vladimir Bilcik, a former European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, described the upcoming vote as the first in over a decade with a genuinely uncertain outcome. The opposition list is headed by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic and includes nonpartisan figures such as university professors. The movement has stated that Srdanovic’s lead position does not guarantee a premiership if they win.

The government claims it has implemented all recommendations from the OSCE observation mission that criticized the 2023 vote. However, an interim report from the OSCE contradicted this assertion. The organization has deployed 300 observers to Serbia for the current election. RFE/RL investigations also noted that the number of eligible voters in Bosnia and Kosovo increased ahead of the ballot. These regions are considered key sources of support for Vucic’s Progressive Party among ethnic Serbs.

Four employees of Serbia-funded institutions in Kosovo told RFE/RL that they faced pressure to vote for the ruling party. This practice has also been documented in several Serbian municipalities. The political climate is further complicated by allegations of illegal surveillance and the arrest of government opponents. A statement from the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee on October 21 cited reports of illegal monitoring of opposition members and attempts to undermine observation missions.

Research by the Serbian nonprofit SHARE and Toronto University researchers alleged that at least sixteen cases of the Pegasus surveillance software were used in 2026. The software is illegal in Serbia. The opposition blames the authorities for the spying, while government officials have denied targeting their political rivals. International observers have noted a decline in freedoms in Serbia over the past decade, a trend confirmed by the latest Freedom House report.

Some US lawmakers have warned that Moscow may play an active role in the election. The European Parliament has raised concerns about Russian influence operations. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson stated that Russia is deploying resources to monitor and disrupt Serbian citizens and the student movement. Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally expressed support for Vucic ahead of the election. Vucic has pledged to maintain his foreign policy course, including his refusal to follow EU calls for sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Serbia's progress in EU integration has stalled, with no new accession chapter opened since late 2021.