29 November – 1 December 2023
Former opposition MP Miketić confirms authenticity of intimate videos stolen from his home computer; withdraws from the campaign. Đorđe Miketić, member of the “Together” party and the candidate for local MP in Belgrade on the “Serbia Against Violence” list, confirmed that the explicit pictures and a video which were leaked to the media this week were authentic. He claimed that they were on a computer that was stolen from his home. Miketić added that he believed the “state, institutions, the BIA (Security Intelligence Agency)” were behind the leak. Nevertheless, he will withdraw from the further course of the campaign for the Belgrade elections. The video contains scenes of sexual intercourse involving Miketić and an unknown woman, as well as indications of the use of cocaine. Pro-government tabloids have been attacking Miketić for days on their front pages for what they describe as immoral behavior. The blurred video was featured on the morning show of the pro-government TV Pink on Friday. (N1 Belgrade, 29 November 2023; Danas (Serbian), 1 December 2023, Nova.rs, 1 December 2023)
Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS) publishes a story implying that Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is linked to a scheme of vote purchasing ahead of elections. SNS call centre offered to triple employees’ pay if they provided proof of their vote for the party during the December 17 elections. CINS journalist, who briefly got a job in the call centre without revealing her profession, unveiled the scheme after she joined a group chat of the call centre, alleging that she was later offered 9.000 RSD (77 EUR) if she provided proof of voting for the SNS compared to the usual day rate of 3.000 RSD. The story also includes allegations of at least some call centre workers being paid informally, which opens the possibility of potential abuses. (CINS (Serbian), 29 November 2023)
N1 hosts election debate without ruling parties. N1 invited the ruling coalition’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) to the debate but both refused the invitation. The four participating opposition officials were asked about Kosovo and the country’s foreign policy with all of them voicing opposition to official Belgrade’s policies. (N1 Belgrade, 29 November 2023)
Kosovo Government postpones license plate deadline. Kosovo Government decided to postpone the deadline for the re-registration of vehicles with Serbia-issued license plates to Kosovo (RKS) plates until 15 December, while the program also includes financial incentives. The agreement on license plates was reached between President Vučić and Prime Minister Kurti last year after a period of hightened tensions. (RTV (Serbian), 30 November 2023)
RS President Dodik: I will support Vučić’s ticket. President of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity said he will support the Aleksandar Vučić – “Serbia Must Not Stop” election ticket in the December elections, despite the fact that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not back him in last year’s general elections in Republika Srpska. “It is in the interest of Republika Srpska that he wins and I will vote for the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS),” Dodik said in an interview. (Nedeljnik (Serbian), 30 November 2023)
