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DE RUEHBW #0559/01 1730810
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P R 220812Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0009
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000559 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA ADOPTS NEW LAW ON POLITICAL PARTIES 
 
BELGRADE 00000559  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Serbian Parliament on May 12 adopted a new Law on 
Political Parties, the first in what is expected to be a set of laws 
reforming the political and electoral system.  The law provides more 
rigorous conditions for establishing political parties and will 
result in the disappearance of small and inactive parties from the 
political arena.  It ensures the full participation of national 
minorities, and more transparency in the work of political parties. 
All parties will be required to re-register within six moths from the 
day the law enters into force, while parties that fail to win 
mandates in future elections will be required to re-register every 
eight years.  Adoption of this law is a basic precondition for a more 
modern, efficient and cost-effective election system.  End Summary. 
 
First Step in Reform of Political System 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Twenty years after the introduction of a multi-party political 
system, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia on May 12 
adopted a new Law on Political Parties.  The main objectives of the 
new Law on Political Parties are to allow freedom of political 
association as guaranteed by the Constitution, and to tighten the 
conditions for the establishment of political parties. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Representatives of the Center for Free Elections and 
Democracy (CeSID), an NGO commissioned by the Public Administration 
and Local Self-Government Ministry to draft the Law, explained to us 
that for comprehensive reform of the political system, the Serbian 
authorities needed to adopt six additional laws: a law on local 
elections, a law on single voter registry, a law on the state 
electoral commission, a law on political party financing, a law on 
the election of representatives, and a law on presidential elections. 
 While there was reportedly consensus among parties on the need for 
the laws on local elections and the single voter registry, and drafts 
were ready for adoption by the government, our CeSID contacts told us 
that the other laws faced serious technical and political problems 
and their adoption was uncertain. 
 
What is New in the Law? 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) According to the provisions of the new Law on Political 
Parties, the number of valid signatures of citizens required to 
register a party will increase from 100 to 10,000.  This provision 
remove most of the more than 600 currently registered but small and 
inactive political parties.  An exception exists for parties of 
national minorities, which will require only 1,000 signatures to be 
established.  The new law also abolishes the requirement for parties 
to collect 10,000 signatures in order to participate in elections, 
which will simplify the electoral process. 
 
¶5. (U) The new law requires all political parties to re-register 
within six months after the law goes into force on July 20. This 
provision will force all political parties to hold party conventions 
or congresses by the end of the year in order to harmonize their 
party programs and statutes with the law.  Additionally, parties are 
now obligated to publish on the internet all documents related to the 
parties' establishment (founding act, program, statute and other 
by-laws), a measure designed to increase the transparency of party 
operations. 
 
¶6. (U) In order to determine which parties are truly active, the law 
requires parties to re-register every eight years unless during that 
period they win mandates in either the national or provincial 
parliaments.  Finally, the law gives the Constitutional Court 
exclusive jurisdiction to evaluate whether a party should be banned. 
(This provision harmonizes Serbia's legislation with Article 5 of the 
2006 Constitution, which prohibits actions by political parties that 
are directed toward the destruction of the constitutional order; 
violate human and minority rights; or provoke racial, national, or 
religious hatred.) 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The adoption of the new Law on Political Parties has 
produced surprisingly little public commentary.  The only criticism 
during parliamentary debate came from the Liberal Democratic Party, 
which viewed the registration requirements as too restrictive.  Most 
interested observers concur that the law represents a much-needed 
step to improve the transparency, seriousness, and efficiency of the 
 
BELGRADE 00000559  002 OF 002 
 
 
Serbian political system while still ensuring the full participation 
of national minorities.  The full impact of the new legislation will 
be seen only in the fall, however, as the main parties begin to 
position themselves for re-registration.  End Comment. 
BRUSH