BIRN Serbia Website Launches 2014 Elections Page

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Helping Serbian voters to make an informed electoral decision, BIRN Serbia redesign its MeraVlade website introducing new page dedicated to the 2014 parliamentary elections, featuring seven political parties’ promises related to the primary topics of citizens’ concern: economy, the fight against corruption, health and education. 

The new web page serves as an easy-to-use online tool which provides information about the parties, their statements and promises made to the electorate, as well as up-to-date news from the campaign.

BIRN’s monitoring of the Serbian election campaign shows that most common promises from the parties are about economic development (particularly unemployment and new jobs) and the consolidation of public finances. Almost 60 per cent of all promises referred to these topics.

During the election campaign, the parties paid little attention to other issues, such as health, education and the fight against corruption.

The Serbian Progressive Party was the main party making promises about economic development – 56 per cent of its promises in election campaign were about this issue. On the other hand, the New Democratic Party too the leading position in promises about education, with 33 per cent of all promises about education coming from this party. The Democratic Party made 35 per cent of its promises about public finances, 24 per cent about economic development, 6 per cent about fight against corruption, 11 per cent about health and 24 per cent about education. The fight against corruption was least mentioned by the parties.

BIRN’s web site www.meravlade.rs is an innovative watchdog tool launched in December 2013 which enables people to evaluate to what extent, and in what way, the government has matched the promises that the parties of the ruling coalition made in the election campaign and at the beginning of their term in office.