EditSerbia investigates foreign minister and ambassadors over diaspora voting hurdles
The complaints focus on whether the organisation of overseas polling prevented some citizens from exercising their right to vote, rather than on a reported finding that the election result itself was invalid
Serbian prosecutors are examining allegations that Foreign Minister Marko Đurić and a number of Serbian ambassadors obstructed diaspora voting in the 25 October parliamentary elections, after complaints over the limited number of polling stations abroad.
Separately, Belgrade’s Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed complaints against Đurić, a senior ministry official and 10 ambassadors, leaving the scope of the two proceedings unclear.
The complaints concern alleged abuse of office, violations of electoral rights and obstruction of the early parliamentary elections, according to Serbian public broadcaster RTS. The prosecution initially opened proceedings following complaints against Serbia’s ambassadors to Slovakia, Aleksandar Nakić, and the United States, Dragan Šutanovac, before further complaints were filed against other diplomats and officials.
The complaints emerged after a major political shift in Serbia. The student-led protest movement secured a decisive election victory on 25 October, bringing an end to 14 years of rule by Vučić and his political camp, according to the supplied reports. The student movement had grown out of months of protests, and its electoral success made the participation of voters abroad a particularly sensitive issue.
Šutanovac is a former Serbian defence minister, serving from 2007 to 2012, and a former leader of the Democratic Party (DS), which he headed from 2016 to 2018. He became Serbia’s ambassador to the United States in May 2025, after leading the Council for Strategic Policy, a Belgrade-based think tank, for seven years.
During the presentation of his credentials, Šutanovac invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Belgrade and used the slogan “Let’s Make Serbian-American Strategic Partnership Great Again!”, echoing the U.S. president’s signature political motto.
The additional complaints named ambassadors Ana Hrustanović in France, Dragan Simeunović in Romania, Ivan Trifunović in Switzerland, Milan Ravić in Bulgaria, Nebojša Rodić in Montenegro, Rade Stefanović in Australia, Stefan Tomašević in Canada and Vladimir Marić in the United Arab Emirates. The complaints also concern Đurić and officials at the foreign ministry.
The organised crime prosecution said it had requested the collection of relevant information from competent institutions, while the reports said police had been instructed to carry out urgent checks.
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Diaspora voters faced long journeys
The dispute centres on the organisation of voting abroad. Serbian citizens living in several countries complained that polling stations had not been opened in their areas, forcing some to travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to cast their ballots.
The Republic Electoral Commission approved 93 polling stations abroad on a proposal from the Foreign Ministry, up from 81 at the 2023 elections. Nearly 100,000 Serbian citizens registered to vote abroad – almost three times as many as in 2023.
The commission also ruled that voting in the diaspora should take place at the same time as voting in Serbia, regardless of time differences. That meant some polling stations in the United States opened at 1 am local time, while voting in parts of Australia and New Zealand took place overnight.
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Several cities that had hosted polling stations in previous elections were left off the list, including Sofia, Bratislava, Geneva, Lugano and Vancouver. In some cases, voters faced journeys of hundreds or even thousands of kilometres. Serbian citizens in Thessaloniki, for example, were expected to travel around 500 kilometres to Athens, while voters in Iceland would have to travel to Oslo, some 1,800 kilometres away. In Australia, voters in Perth and Brisbane were excluded from the designated polling locations in Melbourne, despite the cities being approximately 2,700 and 1,350 kilometres away, respectively.
The arrangements also drew criticism over voting hours. Polling stations abroad were scheduled to operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central European Time, meaning that voting in New Zealand would run from 7 p.m. local time until 8 a.m. the following morning. Critics said the decision broke with the practice followed since 2016 of setting polling hours according to local time, potentially making it harder for diaspora voters to cast their ballots.
The number and timing of polling stations prompted criticism that the arrangements could make it harder for diaspora voters to participate.
Đurić previously rejected allegations that polling locations had been selected according to the presumed political preferences of voters. He said the decisions were based on a range of objective factors, including logistics, security, available space and staffing, rather than simply the number of registered voters.
The electoral commission approved the network of polling stations on the Foreign Ministry’s proposal, placing the ministry at the centre of the dispute over access to the ballot.
Sources: EUalive’s partner BGNES, N1, Euronews, Istinomer
Caption: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Marko Duric arrives for the Council of Europe Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Chisinau, Moldova, 15 May 2026. The ministers for foreign affairs of the 46 Council of Europe member states hold their annual session on 15 May 2026 in Chisinau. EPA/DUMITRU DORU
Updated: October 28, 2026 - 06:20
