'Pod lupom' Coalition: Elections successful, but work on electoral integrity must continue

The "Pod lupom" Coalition particularly welcomed the fact that technical problems with electronic identification devices, which occurred at 14 percent of polling stations, as well as technical problems and interruptions in the operation of optical ballot-scanning technology, which occurred at 21.3 percent of polling stations, did not prevent the use of the technologies at polling stations and their application continued.

Dario Jovanovic, project manager of the Coalition, said at a press conference that preparations for future elections should begin earlier, procedures for dealing with technical difficulties should be improved, timely and comprehensive training of election administration should be ensured, and technical support at polling stations on election day should be further strengthened.

He added that the Coalition considers it particularly important that the introduction of new technologies increased confidence in the electoral process and did not lead to election results being challenged because of the use of technology.

"Acceptance of the election results is an important indicator of democratic maturity and can be viewed as further confirmation that the use of new technologies has passed the key test of public confidence in the electoral process," Jovanovic said.

However, the "Pod lupom" Coalition warned that the successful implementation of new technologies does not mean that work on strengthening election integrity is complete. It is an important step, but only one part of a broader process.

"Elections are not just election day. They are part of the broader, key problem facing this society: systemic corruption and state capture. Findings from monitoring during the campaign period show that numerous election irregularities continue to pose a serious risk to election integrity, including pressure on voters, vote buying, abuse of public resources, irregularities in the formation of polling station committees and other types of irregularities," Jovanovic said.

He stressed that technological progress on election day must therefore be accompanied by stronger mechanisms for preventing, monitoring and sanctioning irregularities throughout the entire electoral cycle.

The Coalition therefore believes that the next phase of electoral reform should focus on strengthening integrity before election day.

The legislative framework needs to be improved, the responsibility of all participants in the electoral process clearly defined, more effective detection and prosecution of electoral irregularities ensured, and the certainty and speed of sanctions, as well as the penalties for those violating election rules, increased.

"Election Day 2026 should therefore be viewed as a very important turning point, but not the end of efforts to improve elections," Jovanovic said.