# Irregularities in the 2023 elections

Category: Elections, media and institutions  
Period: from 1 Nov 2023  
Outcome: Under investigation (as of Jun 2025)  

At the elections of 17 December 2023, including the Belgrade ones, observers recorded vote buying, ballot stuffing and group voting, and the OSCE/ODIHR assessed that the decisive involvement of President Aleksandar Vučić created unfair conditions. According to CRTA, organised voter migration decisively affected the outcome in Belgrade, which the authorities rejected. None of CRTA's 11 criminal complaints led to an indictment: the prosecutor's office dismissed some, and the others have spent years in preliminary investigation, while in June 2026 the Constitutional Court rejected the request to annul the Belgrade elections.

## OSCE/ODIHR findings

In the early parliamentary, provincial and local elections of 17 December 2023, including the elections for the Belgrade City Assembly, domestic and international observers recorded serious irregularities.

The OSCE/ODIHR mission found that the decisive involvement of President Aleksandar Vučić, together with the systemic advantages of the ruling party, created unfair conditions, and it recorded vote buying, ballot stuffing and group voting.

## Voter migration and the Štark Arena

The CRTA observation mission concluded that the organised migration of voters, together with fictitious residence registrations, decisively affected the outcome of the Belgrade elections. According to the Party of Freedom and Justice, 154 voters were registered for the Belgrade elections at a building at Kraljevića Marka Street 9 in Savski Venac, and 121 for the national elections.

On election day, buses carrying voters from Republika Srpska arrived outside the Štark Arena, and opposition members of the Republic Electoral Commission were not allowed into the hall.

On 3 October 2026, N1 reported that, according to the records of the Ministry of Public Administration, 147 adult voters were registered in some thirty flats in Vladimir Mandić's building on the same street. His father Momčilo told N1 that everyone who lives in the building is registered.

## Authorities dismiss the claims, Europe calls for an investigation

The Government, the Republic Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Public Administration rejected the claims. Prime Minister Ana Brnabić accused CRTA of “behaving like football fans”, and the Republic Electoral Commission said the number of voters in Belgrade had not been artificially inflated.

In February 2024, the European Parliament found that the elections had not been held under fair conditions and called for an independent international investigation.

## Repeat elections, complaints with no indictment

The City Assembly was never constituted, so the Belgrade elections were rerun on 2 June 2024.

None of the 11 criminal complaints filed by CRTA led to an indictment. Prosecutors dismissed some of them, and the rest have sat in pre-investigation proceedings for years. In June 2026, the Constitutional Court rejected a request to annul the Belgrade elections.

## Participants

- [Aleksandar Vučić](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/aleksandar-vucic): According to ODIHR, his decisive involvement, together with the ruling party's systemic advantages, created unfair conditions in the elections (responsible)
- [Ana Brnabić](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/ana-brnabic): She said the SNS lawfully organises transport for voters and called the footage from outside the Arena a fake video (commented on the case)
- [Miloš Vučević](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/milos-vucevic): He likened the call for an investigation to the 1914 ultimatum and said the elections had been as fair as they could be (commented on the case)
- [Milenko Jovanov](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/milenko-jovanov): Responding to accusations that voters were being relocated, he said changing one's place of residence is a legal right (commented on the case)
- [Goran Grbović](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/goran-grbovic): On election day he said a basketball tournament was under way at the Arena and that he did not know what this was about (commented on the case)
- [Vladimir Dimitrijević](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/vladimir-dimitrijevic): He said the law does not prohibit gathering in order to vote and that the opposition members of the Republic Electoral Commission had not been at the Arena on the commission's assignment (commented on the case)
- [Serbian Progressive Party](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/sns): Its officials said the party lawfully organises transport for voters, that the elections were fair and that changing one's place of residence is a citizen's right (commented on the case)
- [Republic Electoral Commission](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/rik): After checks by the Interior Ministry, it said the number of voters in Belgrade had not been artificially inflated, as most had registered before the elections were called (commented on the case)
- [Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/ministarstvo-drzavne-uprave): Despite ODIHR's requests, it did not provide data on voters who changed their place of residence ahead of the elections; it called claims of "phantom voters" untrue (responsible)
- [Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/mup-srbije): It checked the voting notices submitted by the opposition, and in March 2024 ordered on-site checks of addresses with five or more registered residents (commented on the case)
- [City of Belgrade / City Administration](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/grad-beograd): It published the Official Gazette with the Belgrade election results on 18 January 2024, the last day of the deadline for the Constitutional Court, but dated it 3 January (responsible)
- [Government of the Republic of Serbia](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/vlada-srbije): It said that the working group had considered ODIHR's recommendations and agreed on steps to implement them (commented on the case)
- [Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Special Department for Combating Corruption](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/vjt-beograd): It dismissed the opposition's complaint over Mala Krsna, on the grounds that the police had found no residence registrations of the villagers (responsible)
- [Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/jtok): It received the complaint over Mala Krsna and forwarded it to the Higher Prosecutor's Office, which dismissed it in May 2024 because the police had found no residence registrations (investigation and courts)
- [Higher Court in Belgrade](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/visi-sud-beograd): It rejected the last voter objection to the results, making the Belgrade elections final (investigation and courts)
- [Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/ustavni-sud): It dismissed the request to annul the Belgrade elections because no assembly was ever constituted on the basis of them (investigation and courts)
- [Internal Control Sector of the Interior Ministry (MUP)](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/sektor-unutrasnje-kontrole): Based on its evidence, the prosecution dismissed a complaint filed by CRTA, concluding that the residence registration officials had acted lawfully (investigation and courts)
- [OSCE/ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights)](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/odihr): It found unfair conditions, pressure on the public sector and irregularities, including vote buying and ballot stuffing (oversight and the public)
- [CRTA (Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability)](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/crta): It concluded that organised voter migration decisively affected the Belgrade elections; the complaints did not lead to an indictment (oversight and the public)
- [European Parliament](https://odgovornost.rs/en/organizacije/evropski-parlament): In a resolution, it found that the elections were not fair and called for an independent international investigation into the irregularities (oversight and the public)
- [Marinika Tepić](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/marinika-tepic): She said the figure of 40,000 voters moved to Belgrade came from sources in the Interior Ministry (oversight and the public)
- [Ivica Ivković](https://odgovornost.rs/en/osobe/ivica-ivkovic): After the protest outside the Belgrade City Assembly, he said the police would not tolerate blockades of institutions and bridges (commented on the case)

## Sources

- [Vreme: Serbian elections officially set for 17 December](<https://vreme.com/vesti/izbori-u-srbiji-zvanicno-17-decembra/>): 1 Nov 2023
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Brnabić and Vučević critical of European Parliament vote](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/brnabic-evropski-parlament-rezolucija-izbori/32810870.html>): 8 Feb 2024
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: ODIHR issues 25 recommendations to improve the process in its report on Serbia's elections](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32841240.html>): 28 Feb 2024
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Serbian Interior Ministry orders tighter oversight of residence registrations in Belgrade](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/mup-srbija-prijava-prebivalista-beograd/32879775.html>): 27 Mar 2024
- [Glas Amerike: ODIHR head to Voice of America: It is not for us to say whether the elections were fair, but the conditions for taking part favoured the authorities](<https://www.glasamerike.net/a/izbori-u-srbiji-odihr-intervju-nepravilnosti-jonson/7407443.html>): 21 Dec 2023
- [Danas: What recommendations for future elections are in the OSCE's final report?](<https://www.danas.rs/vesti/politika/preporuke-izbori-finalni-izvestaj-oebs-odihr/>): 27 Feb 2024
- [OEBS/ODIHR: Republic of Serbia, Early Parliamentary Elections, 17 December 2023: ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report](<https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/c/2/565117_0.pdf>): 28 Feb 2024
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Belgrade prosecutors open cases on possible election irregularities](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/tuzilastvo-srbija-nepravilnosti-izbori/32744616.html>): 23 Dec 2023
- [Vreme: Arena director to "Vreme": I don't know what you're talking about](<https://vreme.com/vesti/direktor-arene-za-vreme-ne-znam-o-cemu-pricate/>): 17 Dec 2023
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: A sandwich, a slip of paper and a fake address: the journey of voters from Bosnia to Belgrade](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32743519.html>): 22 Dec 2023
- [N1: Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor's Office speaks out on its handling of election irregularities](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/oglasilo-se-vise-javno-tuzilastvo-u-beogradu-o-postupanju-povodom-izbornih-nepravilnosti/>): 23 Dec 2023
- [021.rs: CRTA: Voter migration to Belgrade decided the elections - election engineering prepared over a year](<https://www.021.rs/info/srbija/362046/crta-migracija-biraca-u-beograd-presudila-na-izborima-izborni-inzenjering-uradjen-za-godinu-dana>): 22 Dec 2023
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Brnabić accuses CRTA of 'partisan cheerleading'](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/brnabic-crta-izbori/32743667.html>): 22 Dec 2023
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: CRTA: Some voters in Serbia's elections were registered in several places at once](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32778235.html>): 17 Jan 2024
- [N1: 40 voters in 58 square metres: Istinomer publishes database - how many voters "live" at your address](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/izbori-2023/40-biraca-u-58-kvadrata-istinomer-objavio-bazu-koliko-biraca-zivi-na-vasoj-adresi/>): 28 Dec 2023
- [CRTA: Criminal complaints filed by CRTA and ignored by prosecutors: the 2023 elections](<https://crta.rs/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Krivicne-prijave-koje-je-Crta-podnela-a-tuzilastvo-zanemarilo.pdf>): Jun 2025
- [N1: CRTA finds voter migration affected the elections, while Brnabić still sees nothing wrong](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/izbori-2023/crta-utvrdila-da-su-migracije-biraca-uticale-na-izbore-brnabic-i-dalje-ne-vidi-nista-sporno/>): 22 Dec 2023
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Serbia's Ministry of Public Administration says 'there are no phantom voters'](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32746644.html>): 25 Dec 2023
- [021.rs: RIK: Number of voters in Belgrade elections was not artificially inflated](<https://www.021.rs/info/srbija/362221/rik-broj-biraca-za-izbore-u-beogradu-nije-vestacki-uvecan>): 24 Dec 2023
- [Danas: Serbia's 2023 elections: No one can form a government in Belgrade, new elections to be called](<https://www.danas.rs/bbc-news-serbian/izbori-u-srbiji-2023-niko-ne-formira-vlast-u-beogradu-sledi-raspisivanje-novih-izbora/>): 3 Mar 2024
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: SPN legal team: 30 percent 'phantom voters' voted in Belgrade](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32743374.html>): 22 Dec 2023
- [Vreme: Tepić: Figure of 40,000 “phantom” voters comes from an Interior Ministry source](<https://www.vreme.com/vesti/tepic-brojka-od-40-000-fantomskih-biraca-dolazi-od-izvora-iz-mup-a/>): 24 Dec 2023
- [N1: First issue of Official Gazette with election report published, dated 3 January](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/izasao-prvi-broj-sluzbenog-glasnika-sa-izvestajem-o-izborima-datiran-na-3-januar/>): 18 Jan 2024
- [N1: What the EP resolution on Serbia's elections says](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/sta-pise-u-rezoluciji-ep-o-izborima-o-srbiji/>): 8 Feb 2024
- [021.rs: European Parliament resolution: Serbia's elections irregular, international investigation and freeze of EU funds sought](<https://www.021.rs/story/BBC/366700/Rezolucija-Evropskog-parlamenta-Izbori-u-Srbiji-neregularni-trazi-se-medjunarodna-istraga-i-zamrzavanje-sredstava-EU.html>): 8 Feb 2024
- [Vreme: European Parliament adopts resolution on Serbia](<https://vreme.com/vesti/evropski-parlament-usvojio-rezoluciju-o-srbiji/>): 8 Feb 2024
- [Vreme: The Mala Krsna case: Picking up where they left off](<https://vreme.com/vesti/slucaj-mala-krsna-gde-stadose-tu-produzise/>): 8 Mar 2024
- [N1: Criminal complaint over Mala Krsna dismissed, prosecutors see no voter relocation](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/odbacena-krivicna-prijava-za-malu-krsnu-tuzilastvo-ne-vidi-selidbu-biraca/>): 27 May 2024
- [N1: After Mala Krsna, new Belgraders arrive from Vranje: Progressives don't deny it, say it's legal](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/posle-male-krsne-novopeceni-beogradjani-stizu-iz-vranja-naprednjaci-ne-negiraju-tvrde-da-je-po-zakonu/>): 19 Mar 2024
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Dodik and Stevandić, RS officials, voted in Belgrade elections](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/dodik-stevandic-izbori-beograd/32976062.html>): 2 Jun 2024
- [N1: (INFOGRAPHIC) SNS keeps falling, opposition loses even more: Who lost how much in the 2 June elections](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/izbori-beograd-2024-rezultati-sns-opozicija-glasovi/>): 9 Jun 2024
- [CRTA: Roundtable report: The role and effectiveness of public prosecutors' offices in the electoral process](<https://crta.rs/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Crta-Izvestaj-Diskusioni-sto-o-tuzilastvu-u-izbornom-procesu-24102024.pdf>): 24 Oct 2024
- [Vreme: Jerinić to Vreme: How the Constitutional Court rejected the request to annul the 2023 Belgrade elections](<https://vreme.com/vesti/jelena-jerinic-ustavni-sud-beogradski-izbori-2023/>): 30 Jun 2026
- [Radio Slobodna Evropa: Opposition DS files criminal complaints, alleging manipulation of Serbia's voter register](<https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/opozicija-izbori-krivicna-prijava-biraci-tuzilastvo/32771773.html>): 12 Jan 2024
- [RTS: Ivković: 38 people processed, police will not tolerate blockades of institutions and bridges](<https://www.rts.rs/lat/vesti/politika/5334420/.html>): 25 Dec 2023
- [Nova.rs: Vlada Mandić, the SNS man for special operations and election theft: A shocking number of voters registered for the Belgrade elections in a former handball player's building](<https://nova.rs/vesti/politika/vlada-mandic-sns-covek-za-specijalne-operacije-i-izbornu-kradju-u-zgradi-bivseg-rukometasa-za-beogradske-izbore-prijavljeno-154-biraca/>): 3 Jan 2024
- [Danas: Vladimir Mandić, landlord to fake Belgraders?](<https://www.danas.rs/sport/vladimir-mandic-biografija-rukomet-sns/>): 4 Jan 2024
- [N1: The mystery of Vladimir Mandić's building: How do 147 voters live at the same address?](<https://n1info.rs/vesti/zgrada-vladimir-mandic-savski-venac/>): 3 Oct 2026
- [Nova.rs: How the voter roll is manipulated: 153 voters registered in Vlada Mandić's building, 10 "phantoms" at the "Red Star" stadium](<https://nova.rs/vesti/politika/kako-se-manipulise-birackim-spiskom-u-zgradi-vlade-mandica-prijavljena-153-biraca-10-fantoma-na-stadionu-crvene-zvezde/>): 23 Mar 2026
- [Radar: How Vladimir Mandić, an SNS operative, amasses assets](<https://radar.nova.rs/ekonomija/kako-vladimir-mandic-gomila-imovinu/>): 17 Oct 2026

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Source: Odgovornost, https://odgovornost.rs/en/afere/izbori-decembar-2023  
As of: 9 Nov 2026  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)