A protest was held today outside the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia over dissatisfaction with the number of polling locations opened in the United States and the voting hours for the upcoming parliamentary election. In publicly announced information on social media and in some media outlets, the gathering was presented as a peaceful protest seeking easier access to voting rights in the United States.
The dispute over voting hours followed an October 5 decision by Serbia’s Republic Electoral Commission (RIK), under which the Chicago polling place will be open on Sunday, October 25, from 1 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Consulate General confirmed in an October 9 notice that voting within its consular jurisdiction will take place at two polling locations, in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Our team counted 16 adult participants and one child at the protest. One attendee also brought a schnauzer. The gathering was addressed by its organizer, Antonije Kovačević, owner and editor-in-chief of the Serbian Times news portal.
Although the stated reasons for the protest were the number of polling locations and the voting hours, people interviewed by our team were unable to answer basic questions about the requirements for opening a polling place abroad and who makes that decision. Some referred to the consulate where they were protesting as an embassy.
Under Serbia’s Law on the Election of Members of Parliament, polling places abroad are designated by the Republic Electoral Commission, based on a proposal from the ministry responsible for foreign affairs.
After only a few questions, participants voiced their objections and the conversation shifted away from election procedures to other subjects. Some participants then said they were not protesting because of the election, but for other reasons. The Chicago na dlanu team was prevented from completing the conversation and asking the remaining questions.
Questions for Protest Participants
We prepared the following 13 questions for those attending the protest. We were able to ask only some of them because we were prevented from continuing the interview. We are publishing the full list so readers can assess the questions for themselves:
- Do you know what requirements must be met for a polling place to be opened abroad?
- Do you know who makes the decision to open a polling place?
- Do you know that the consulate is closed today?
- What do you expect to accomplish with this protest?
- Why did you not organize the protest during the consulate’s business hours and attempt to block its operations?
- What do you think the consequences of such a blockade would be?
- The Chicago Marathon is taking place today. Do you believe it was scheduled at the same time as your protest to prevent more people from joining you?
- When you say you speak on behalf of the diaspora, who gave you that mandate? Do you speak for everyone or only for those gathered here?
- Will you vote during the designated voting hours?
- Can you name those who died in the canopy collapse?
- Do you support blockades in Serbia? If so, why do you consider it acceptable for other citizens to change their plans because of blockades, but unacceptable for you to adjust your plans to the designated voting hours?
- Would you equally defend the right of citizens who support the government to protest outside an event that you organize?
- Would you accept the election result if a political option you do not support were to win?
The Chicago na dlanu team will continue to follow developments and provide the public with accurate and timely information.
Photo and Video: Milan Brašanac
