Presevo. Bujanovac, Medvedja – The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MPALSG) called on members of ethnic minorities who meet the general requirements for acquiring voting rights in the Republic of Serbia to register in a special electoral roll and thereby gain the right to elect and be elected in the elections for the national councils of national minorities, which will be held this autum.

The elections will be announced in mid-August, while the Law on the National Councils of National Minorities and its recently adopted amendments  precisely define the entire procedure, which all those interested in the process estimated as transparent and democratic.

The MPALSG points out that the national councils are the bodies by which the constitutionally guaranteed minority rights to self-government in education, culture, information and the use of language and alphabet are most effectively exercised.  

Citizens need to personally request the entering of their names in the electoral roll, which means that the aforementioned rights can not be achieved fully without the personal involvement of members of national minorities.

The voter is registered on a special form, which is submitted in writing to the municipal or city government in the place of residence. The application form can be downloaded on http://www.mduls.gov.rs/doc/zahtev%20za%20upis%20u%20poseban%20biracki%20spisak%20nacionalne%20manjine.pdf
Internally displaced persons submit the request in the place of their residence.   

The MPALSG points out that whether a specific national council will be elected in direct elections or electronic ones depends on the number of registered persons in the special electoral rolls.  

Source: Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Jugpress and Coordination Body