Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić votes in a referendum on changes to the Serbian constitution. File photoBELGRADE, Jan 16The turnout for the five-hour referendum on changes to the Serbian constitution in the field of justice was 8.9%, the voting is peaceful, the Republican Electoral Commission (RIC) reported. «From 7.00 to 12.00 (14.00 Moscow time) 8.9% of the total voters… For comparison, in the parliamentary elections of 2020, by 12.00, the turnout was 18.01%,» members of the commission said at a briefing in the REC. 9.00 Moscow time) to 20.00 (22.00 Moscow time) at 8,029 polling stations in Serbia, with the exception of Kosovo and Metohija. Over 6.5 million people have the right to vote. Kosovo «Prime Minister» Albin Kurti said on January 13 that Serbs in the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo would be able to participate in the referendum by mail or at a liaison office in Pristina. The Kosovo Albanian authorities are categorically against holding a referendum in Serb-populated areas, despite calls from international missions and Western embassies. On Saturday evening, the Kosovo «parliament» approved a resolution against holding a referendum. The Serbian REC has decided that voters from Kosovo and Metohija can vote at polling stations in four cities in central Serbia — Kursumlija, Raska, Novi Pazar and Vranje. Several hundred Serbs on Sunday marched peacefully through the center of northern Mitrovica, where a symbolic vote took place — several people put sheets with the inscriptions «Yes to freedom» and «No to life in slavery» in an impromptu ballot box.The analyst spoke about the referendum in Serbia The question for the referendum is formulated as follows: «Do you agree with the confirmation of the act to change the constitution of Serbia?» We are talking about the procedure for selecting judges in all bodies of the legal system — from the main courts to the constitutional one. The country's parliament previously abolished the 50% turnout threshold for a referendum to take place, now a simple majority of votes is sufficient. Members of the Serbian leadership, headed by President Aleksandar Vučić, have repeatedly urged citizens to give a positive answer to the plebiscite question. Amendments to the constitution provide for the formation of a High Council of Judges (HJC) in the country, which will consist of six delegates from judges, four experienced lawyers elected by parliament, and a chairman Supreme Court. The HJC itself will approve judges in the country. The High Council of Prosecutors with similar powers will be formed in a similar way. Previously, judges and prosecutors with a probationary period for the first three years were elected by the parliament, that is, the ruling majority in the Assembly. The embassies of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and the EU delegation on Friday called on the citizens of Serbia to go to a referendum in a joint open statement. Western diplomats are «confident that these reforms are the way forward for Serbia's alignment with EU standards, which will help the process of Serbia's integration into the EU.» Russian senators as part of the observer mission from the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly take part in the monitoring at the referendum. The delegation included, in particular, members of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Elena Afanasyeva and Sergey Berezkin.
