Political Process Strengthening Activity in Serbia
IFES Senior Political Finance Adviser Magnus Öhman leads a training on political and campaign finance oversight with the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in Serbia.
One of the main objectives of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ (IFES) activities in Serbia is to improve the integrity and transparency of the electoral processes through technical support to election administration bodies and institutions, as well as through supporting monitoring, civic engagement and improvement of the overall electoral system.
As a part of this program, IFES supports the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) to organize and conduct elections, including the 2020 parliamentary elections. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IFES supported RIK by developing a dedicated risk assessment and mitigation plan, advised on the adaption and implementation of Election Day procedures to promote the safety of voters and poll workers and collaborated on an extensive voter information campaign ahead of the June 21 vote.
To enhance the Anti-Corruption Agency of Serbia’s (ACAS) capacity to fulfill its mandate in accordance with the law and international best practices, IFES provides targeted assistance to its oversight of the abuse of state resources (ASR) and political and campaign finance.
IFES is also supporting local civil society and media to build capacity to monitor, report and advocate on ASR, political financing and election dispute resolution (EDR). The ever-changing role of social media and disinformation in elections exacerbates these challenges, and IFES employs innovative efforts to civil society and media in adapting approaches to monitoring and reporting initiatives of ASR, political finance and EDR online.
Key Activities
Technical Assistance to Election Institutions
To support RIK and the ACAS to better fulfill their mandates and increase the integrity and transparency of the electoral process, IFES provides technical assistance initiatives to both institutions.
Supporting Domestic Civil Society Groups and Media Actors
IFES engages civil society and media actors in monitoring, reporting and advocacy on ASR, EDR and campaign finance through small grants programs and capacity-building efforts.
Training Political Parties on Abuse of State Resources, Election Dispute Resolution and Political Finance
To improve political parties’ understanding of transparency in the electoral process, IFES works with parties to identify and address challenges in elections such as political finance transparency and effective complaints adjudication processes.
Supporting Efforts to Improve Voter List Quality
IFES has the status of an observer in the government’s Voter List Verification Working Group to improve the quality of voter registry and further strengthen capacity to maintain the voter lists and increase public trust in its accuracy and overall integrity.