GIK rejects SPS objections in Novi Sad

The City Electoral Commission (GIK) has rejected the SPS’s objections over alleged voting irregularities at five polling stations in Novi Sad. The Serb Radical Party (SRS) previously withdrew its earlier objections, and its political rivals gathered in front of the city assembly to proclaim victory in Novi Sad. GIK rejects SPS objections in Novi Sad Supporters of the “For a European Novi Sad” and “Together for Vojvodina” coalitions gathered in front of the Novi Sad assembly at 18:00 CET, when the GIK meeting was due to start, and accused the SRS and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) of trying to annul local election results where the “For a European Novi Sad” and “Together for Vojvodina” coalitions gained the most votes. They are expected to form a new assembly majority together with one member of the Hungarian coalition. According to reports, although the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the Radicals lodged complaints, the members of those parties within GIK, as well as those from the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and other parties who composed the previous city government did not want to include them in the agenda, but were rather waiting for the deadline for complaints to expire, so that they would be automatically adopted and the elections would have to be repeated in those places. “The SPS and SRS’s goal was for the Radicals to ‘persuade’ their voters to vote for the SPS the second time round, because they fell only 650 votes short of the census in Novi Sad. That way, the “For a European Novi Sad” coalition would lose two committee members, “Together for Vojvodina” one and the Radicals two, but the Socialists would gain five members,” Aleksandar Jovanovic, head of “Together for Vojvodina” list, explained. Although the Democratic Party (DS) earlier also accused the SRS and SPS of trying to manipulate the electoral will of the citizens, their representatives did not appear at the protest in front of the city assembly. “They are trying to create chaos in Novi Sad through legal violence, the same thing as happened at the local elections in 1996, when Novi Sad was spared that, but you’ll remember what happened in Belgrade,” Igor Pavlicic, head of the “For a European Novi Sad” list warned. According to the results GIK announced two days ago for the local elections in Novi Sad, the “For a European Serbia” list gained 30 assembly seats, the SRS 26, “Together for Vojvodina” nine, the “Maja Gojkovic” citizens group seven, the DSS-NS coalition five, and the Hungarian coalition one.

GIK rejects SPS objections in Novi Sad

Supporters of the “For a European Novi Sad” and “Together for Vojvodina” coalitions gathered in front of the Novi Sad assembly at 18:00 CET, when the GIK meeting was due to start, and accused the SRS and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) of trying to annul local election results where the “For a European Novi Sad” and “Together for Vojvodina” coalitions gained the most votes.

They are expected to form a new assembly majority together with one member of the Hungarian coalition.

According to reports, although the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the Radicals lodged complaints, the members of those parties within GIK, as well as those from the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and other parties who composed the previous city government did not want to include them in the agenda, but were rather waiting for the deadline for complaints to expire, so that they would be automatically adopted and the elections would have to be repeated in those places.

“The SPS and SRS’s goal was for the Radicals to ‘persuade’ their voters to vote for the SPS the second time round, because they fell only 650 votes short of the census in Novi Sad. That way, the “For a European Novi Sad” coalition would lose two committee members, “Together for Vojvodina” one and the Radicals two, but the Socialists would gain five members,” Aleksandar Jovanović, head of “Together for Vojvodina” list, explained.

Although the Democratic Party (DS) earlier also accused the SRS and SPS of trying to manipulate the electoral will of the citizens, their representatives did not appear at the protest in front of the city assembly.

“They are trying to create chaos in Novi Sad through legal violence, the same thing as happened at the local elections in 1996, when Novi Sad was spared that, but you’ll remember what happened in Belgrade,” Igor Pavličić, head of the “For a European Novi Sad” list warned.

According to the results GIK announced two days ago for the local elections in Novi Sad, the “For a European Serbia” list gained 30 assembly seats, the SRS 26, “Together for Vojvodina” nine, the “Maja Gojković” citizens group seven, the DSS-NS coalition five, and the Hungarian coalition one.