RIK rejects SPN petition for annulment of elections

Republic Election Commission deputy president Marko Jankovic told the RIK meeting that the authorized representatives of the Belgrade Serbia Against Violence election ticket submitted the petition to the Belgrade City Election Commission (GIK), which said the matter was not within its jurisdiction and referred it to the RIK.

“The ticket requested the annulment in all places within the jurisdiction of the commission on the basis of the fact that the elections were conducted in an atmosphere of a gross violation of the rules and that the entire election was illegal," Jankovic said.

He added that the Serbia Against Violence ticket appealed to the Higher Court in Belgrade, which rejected the appeal as unfounded and reiterated that the Belgrade City Election Commission has no in rem jurisdiction over the matter.

Several RIK members proposed that the RIK also declare itself incompetent, because the petition had been addressed to the GIK, noting that it is clear from the context that the petition does not only refer to the Belgrade local elections, i.e., that the GIK needs to decide on the matter rather than “hide behind the RIK.”