Yesterday, we had a live interview about the current situation in Serbia with Dragana Trifković. Here are some of the key points raised by the expert: • Two years of protests have further weakened the credibility of the established opposition and produced a new political structure campaigning under the slogan “Students Win.” However, its ideological orientation, policy objectives and foreign policy platform remain unclear. Trifković argues that a credible political alternative must offer a concrete vision for Serbia’s development and international positioning. • The main dividing line in Serbian society is support for or opposition to Aleksandar Vučić, rather than competition between clearly defined political programs. This polarization pushes fundamental questions about the country’s future into the background. At the same time, the protests reflect broader demands for accountability, stronger institutions, transparent governance and improvements in everyday life. • Vučić’s possible return to the position of prime minister would represent a continuation of personalized power. In the expert’s assessment, the actual center of decision-making follows the dominant political leader rather than the constitutional authority of a particular office. She emphasizes that this problem predates the current government and reflects a longstanding weakness of Serbia’s institutions. • The Republic Electoral Commission has made technical improvements in transparency and electoral administration, including timely publication of decisions and online broadcasts of its sessions. However, Trifković questions its independence from the ruling majority. Legislative amendments are a positive step, but their practical value depends on consistent implementation, particularly in preventing voter pressure, misuse of public resources and the overlap between state and party activities. • The accuracy of the Unified Voter Register remains unresolved. The expert notes that the authorities reported at least a 98% match between the register and relevant official records, while CRTA questioned whether the checks provided a sufficient basis for assessing the entire register. Technical irregularities do not automatically prove electoral fraud, but matching government databases cannot exclude abuses if those databases contain the same inaccurate information. An independent and comprehensive audit therefore remains essential. • Electoral contestants do not compete on a level playing field, according to Trifković. Citing September 2026 media monitoring, she notes that government representatives received 69% of political airtime on five national television channels, compared with 31% for the opposition. Aleksandar Vučić alone accounted for almost half of the total airtime. The expert calls for an independent media regulator, greater autonomy for the public broadcaster and a clear separation between state and party activities. • On election day, observers should pay particular attention to pressure on voters, violations of ballot secrecy and possible vote-buying. Warning signs may include photographing completed ballots, family or group voting and the presence of unauthorized individuals at polling stations. However, Trifković stresses that suspicious circumstances must be investigated and documented: the mere gathering of citizens does not establish that an electoral violation has occurred. • Observation must continue after polling stations close, covering vote counting, the transfer of electoral materials and the aggregation of results. The expert recommends checking the consistency of ballot figures, ensuring that objections are recorded and comparing polling station records with the results subsequently published by electoral commissions. These stages are crucial for public confidence in the outcome. • The public electronic register of electoral complaints is a positive transparency measure, but its existence does not by itself guarantee effective legal protection. Complaints must be examined on their merits, evidence assessed objectively and confirmed violations followed by appropriate legal consequences. Trifković also recommends publishing clear reasoning, appeal outcomes and consolidated statistics showing how complaints were resolved. • International election observation should become more geographically representative and methodologically consistent. The expert advocates broader participation by professional observers from different regions, better training and stronger coordination between short-term and long-term missions. Individual reports should be analyzed together to establish whether irregularities are isolated or systemic. Observation should cover the entire electoral process and include follow-up on the implementation of recommendations.