After a majority of "yes" answers in Sunday's referendum, the country's EU integration could accelerate.

Serbian citizens were asked to answer a single question in the referendum held on Sunday. The question concerned whether judges and public prosecutors should be elected by independent professional bodies, or the appointments should remain in the hands of politicians and power-holders in the Balkan country. The judiciary’s independence was a requirement set by the EU. The rule of law has been an issue between Brussels and Belgrade for years.

Higher turnout and smaller margin than expected

According to preliminary, unofficial results released by the Electoral Commission of the Republic, 30.63 per cent of the voters went to the polls. About 62 per cent of voters answered ‘yes’, while 37 per cent voted ‘no’, and 1 per cent of the votes were invalid. Data published so far show that 343 thousand citizens voted in favour of amending the constitution and 206 thousand voted against the change.

Even pro-government voters were divided

The president of the Republic of Serbia congratulated people on the outcome of the referendum, highlighting that it was proof of their commitment to democracy. Aleksandar Vucic welcomed the fact that the vote had taken place smoothly, adding that with this, Serbia had shown a very positive image to the world. The head of state expressed hope that the country can really do a lot for an independent judiciary in the coming period. He said it was not just the opposition that would have said no in the referendum, as many of his own party members also preferred that response. According to the president, some members of the ruling party believed that it was unfortunate to allow foreigners to interfere in the organisation of the judiciary, so they wanted to stay out of the vote. Mr Vucic emphasized that many of his own friends chose not go to the polls or voted no. Serbia’s ruling parties had been campaigning for the „yes” answer and asked people to support the constitution’s amendment.

A big step on the road to the EU

The outcome of referendum is another step on Serbia’s path to the EU, Vladimir Bilcik, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for relations with Serbia wrote after the publication of the preliminary results. According to Mr Bilcik, Serbian citizens have decided to change the country’s constitution, thereby improving the judiciary’s work and making it more independent. This is also an important step in the field of the rule of law, Mr Bilcik added.

As V4NA wrote earlier, Serbia’s parliament adopted the text of the constitutional amendment at the end of November. The change solely concerns the operation of the judiciary, namely the election of officials. After the successful referendum, judges and the public prosecutor will be elected by independent professional bodies in the future.