"Fake ballots constitute for felony, not irregularity"

If the SNS showed authentic voting ballots there are reasons for the authorities implementing criminal law to determine the origin of these ballots. This is according to Executive Director of the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) Marko Blagojevic. "Fake ballots constitute for felony, not irregularity" He was referring to the ballot papars presented to the public today, which SNS leader Tomislav Nikolic said were thrown into garbage dumpsters and replaced by forgeries by the ruling parties. The Democratic Party (DS) and its leader Boris Tadic have rejected these accusations against them. "This is more than electoral irregularity. It is a criminal act entailing imprisonment of up to three years," Blagojevic told Tanjug. He added that based on what Tomislav Nikolic and Aleksandar Vucic claimed, it is not possible to conclude at which stage of the electoral process the alleged theft occurred - at the polling stations, during transportation or at any other time after closing the polling stations. "If it happened in the polling stations, I do not know how something like that could be missed by all the people who were in the electoral committees, including the representatives of the SNS and Tomislav Nikolic as the presidential candidate," Blagojevic said. The SNS had two or three representatives at each polling station, he said. "If the theft the SNS is talking about occurred after the vote, then it can simply be determined based on the records whether the data at the disposal of SNS coincide with those published by the Election Commission," Blagojevic said. Nikolic and DS leader Boris Tadic will run in the May 20 presidential vote runoff. Marko Blagojevic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

"Fake ballots constitute for felony, not irregularity"

He was referring to the ballot papars presented to the public today, which SNS leader Tomislav Nikolić said were thrown into garbage dumpsters and replaced by forgeries by the ruling parties.

The Democratic Party (DS) and its leader Boris Tadić have rejected these accusations against them.

"This is more than electoral irregularity. It is a criminal act entailing imprisonment of up to three years," Blagojević told Tanjug.

He added that based on what Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić claimed, it is not possible to conclude at which stage of the electoral process the alleged theft occurred - at the polling stations, during transportation or at any other time after closing the polling stations.

"If it happened in the polling stations, I do not know how something like that could be missed by all the people who were in the electoral committees, including the representatives of the SNS and Tomislav Nikolić as the presidential candidate," Blagojević said.

The SNS had two or three representatives at each polling station, he said.

"If the theft the SNS is talking about occurred after the vote, then it can simply be determined based on the records whether the data at the disposal of SNS coincide with those published by the Election Commission," Blagojević said.

Nikolić and DS leader Boris Tadić will run in the May 20 presidential vote runoff.