Nova.rs publishes audio of Cajetina Mayor getting people to collect “capillary votes” for SNS

Stamatovic told his associates that they have to collect “capillary votes” for the SNS and that, if they fail to do so, they cannot hold any position, whether as a director, cleaner, or anything else.

Collecting capillary votes means securing votes through a network of interconnected blackmailed or otherwise compelled people. Such votes are often proven on the day of elections by providing to the SNS a photo of an ID next to the ballot.

Following Milan Stamatovic’s statement from October last year that the ruling SNS can move voters from municipality to municipality to manipulate election results, Nova.rs obtained an audio recording in which he talks about other SNS election manipulations.

“That’s why I’m telling you, be smart. There are young people who have just started, and some of you here are older, more experienced, take a look around, work, so that you don't end up... I'm telling you, these people have no mercy. Look at how the SNS behaves, if you vote for them, you know how many capillary votes you have to collect, they don't care. If you don't do it, you can't be a director, a cleaner, you can't be anything. We don't do that, and we never have, you know that well. But tomorrow you won't be in a position to provide for you children... they will stay in power for a long time, as will we…You can't achieve anything here at the local level. We won't do that, there are people who support us, honest and decent people and I will have an obligation to accept those people and their children. I won't keep someone who works against us. I'll tell them nicely: Mr. President, we support you, and you bring in here some people who work against you. We won't do that because of those people. It's crossed a line,” said Stamatovic.

In the second audio recording, he expresses dissatisfaction with the way his coalition partners operate.

“They view our kindness and goodness as a weakness. The Serbian Progressive Party, they have a way of doing things, which is somehow unacceptable to us, but it’s obviously an efficient method for them: either you are with us or you aren’t, if not then take it to the streets, protest, say whatever you will, no one will tolerate you saying such things from the house where your earn the bread you eat,” said Stamatovic.

The Nova.rs portal tried to get in touch with Stamatovic to determine the origin of these audio recordings and to get an explanation as to why Stamatovic had tried to persuade his supporters to collect capillary votes for the Serbian Progressive Party when he disagrees with their methods. However, he did not respond to calls or messages by the time of publication.

In October 2023 Stamatovic attended the celebration of the Serbian Progressive Party’s 15th anniversary and said that his Healthy Serbia party has been invited to join a movement that the SNS had planned to form.

“The Progressives are negotiating with the parties they believe can contribute to national unity, and that was our main motive to agree to talks,” said Stamatovic.

He then revealed that he not only accepted the talks but that he also agreed to join the movement, which ultimately wasn’t formed, and he explained the reasons for this decision in front of N1 TV cameras.

“I believe that, through the People's Movement for the State, Healthy Serbia could fight for and secure its goals – decentralization and regionalization,” said Stamatovic.