The December elections were legitimate, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said on live television in response to a call by the opposition, the international community and the European Parliament for an international investigation, adding that such a move would violate Serbia’s sovereignty, Euractiv reports.
The December elections were widely condemned by local and international politicians, observers, citizens, organisations and civil society, as well as in a European Parliament resolution. There were widespread press reports of vote buying, pressure on voters and bringing Serbs from other countries to vote, but the Serbian government, which won the election, maintains that nothing untoward happened. Brnabić said on Prva:
“Not a single vote was stolen. A fly couldn’t pass, let alone for something to be stolen. Repeated elections are the most realistic option for Belgrade. It is not a question of majority, we do have a majority, but President Aleksandar Vučić has set a standard – mathematics is not politics.”
An international investigation would “suspend institutions and law in Serbia”. Brnabić said:
“Apparently, the European Parliament is not enough anymore, but they now go to the European Commission to fantasise about how the investigation should look. The opposition wants not only to cancel or step on our sovereignty, but they want to suspend home institutions and law. I will never allow an international investigation, because that would call for the cancellation of a country’s sovereignty. It would suspend the parliament, institutions, democracy, and would eventually lead to foreigners putting them in power.”
Later, she added:
“How can someone be an opposition to its state by wanting insight into every database, for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to open up all the data, and for foreigners to ask for checks such as counting how many people live in an apartment or house?”
