Electoral commission dismisses opposition claims number of voters was artificially inflated

BELGRADE - Serbia's national electoral commission has dismissed claims by the opposition Serbia Against Violence coalition that the number of people eligible to vote in the December 17 local elections in Belgrade had been inflated artificially to sway the outcome of the polls.

In a statement released on Sunday, the commission said this had been determined through verification of material submitted by the opposition coalition, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Administration and Self-Government and the Interior Ministry.

Along with evidence of alleged electoral fraud and the existence of purported ghost voters, Serbia Against Violence representatives Marinika Tepic and Miroslav Aleksic presented to the commission's president a request for repeat local elections in the capital.

"Through the verification, it was determined clearly that the majority of voters had registered residences and were entered into the Unified Electoral Roll much before the elections held on December 17, some even 20 or more years ago, which is clear proof that the claims by the Serbia Against Violence coalition that the number of eligible voters in the Belgrade elections was inflated artificially to influence the outcome of the elections are untrue," the commission said.