Open Letter To the Diplomatic and Consular Network of the Republic of Serbia
Open letter to the diplomatic and consular network of the Republic of Serbia
Belgrade, 30 September 2026
Grave concerns regarding the upholding of the voting rights of Serbian citizens abroad.
Dear Representatives of the Diplomatic and Consular Network of the Republic of Serbia,
As You are well aware, early parliamentary elections will be held in the Republic of Serbia on 25 October. Citizens of the diaspora hold the same voting rights as citizens in the country. It falls to the diplomatic and consular missions to make that right achievable.
Over the past weeks, the Student Movement has received a growing number of reports from Serbian citizens around the world. We have documented and verified, among others, the following cases:
- Abu Dhabi (UAE): no ruling has been issued for requests submitted on 13 September — the oldest confirmed case.
- London (United Kingdom): weeks without a response, with staff claiming that registration through a parent’s place of residence is not possible — contrary to Art. 6 of the Law on the Unified Voter List.
- Brno (Czech Republic, Honorary Consul): the excuse of “lacking capacity”, with an official statement that voting in Brno will not be organized — although only the RIK decides on polling stations.
- Beijing and Shanghai (China): voters redirected without clear explanation — Beijing confirmed and forwarded requests, but Shanghai does not respond and claims requests have been “forwarded to the RIK”; registration confirmations are missing even though municipalities have already sent their decisions.
These are not isolated cases. They form a pattern of 10 systemic obstacles, recorded across 18 countries — at a moment when diaspora civic engagement is exceeding all previous election cycles by no less than 59%. This is a level of engagement we should be proud of, not an obstacle to be smothered in bureaucracy.
We demand
That every diplomatic and consular mission of the Republic of Serbia, no later than 3 October:
- Confirm in writing, without delay, that every registration request has been processed and forwarded to the competent municipality (Art. 16 of the Law on the Unified Voter List);
- Publicly correct any incorrect information communicated to voters, including contradictory instructions on polling locations.
The Student Movement will continue to track which missions meet this standard and which do not, and we will inform the public of the outcome and documentation in a timely manner.
The rights of all Serbian voters must be protected. We call on every diplomatic and consular mission of the Republic of Serbia to act accordingly.
The Student Movement of Serbia