A KRIK investigation into voting registration among Serbians in Vienna has prompted complaints to Austrian authorities, two days before Serbia’s 25 October 2026 parliamentary election. The reports raise questions about whether access to assistance with voting abroad was being linked to political allegiance. The alleged practices have not been adjudicated by a court.
What KRIK’s undercover recordings show
In an investigation published on 21 October, the Serbian investigative outlet KRIK reported that a bakery called Pekarica in Vienna directed people seeking help with voter registration to the nearby Association of Serbs in Austria. KRIK published audio and video recordings made by Serbian citizens in Vienna, alongside reporting from its own journalists.
According to KRIK, people inside the association helped visitors fill out election-related forms, collected personal details and said the applications would be forwarded to the Serbian embassy. Recordings reported by KRIK also captured people associated with the process asking prospective voters whom they supported, expressing a preference for supporters of President Aleksandar Vučić, and offering small gifts carrying Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) branding.
The recordings are relevant because participation in an election must not depend on a voter’s declared political preference. However, the material does not by itself establish how many applications were handled, whether any applications were improperly rejected, or whether the final vote count was affected.
Watch the original KRIK footage
Video: KRIK / YouTube, embedded from KRIK’s original 21 October investigation. Featured image: KRIK.
Complaints sent to Austrian authorities on 23 October
On 23 October, KRIK reported a new development: Vienna-based law student Marko Stojadinović had submitted complaints to Austrian police, prosecutors, security authorities and the country’s data-protection regulator.
The complaints seek an examination of alleged unlawful political organising, pressure on voters, threats against KRIK journalists and the collection and handling of identity documents and personal information. The fact that complaints were submitted does not mean an investigation has formally opened or that authorities have established a violation. No official finding was reported in the source material available on 23 October.
Denials and unanswered questions
KRIK interviewed Andrej Leskovac, whom it identified as involved with the association. Leskovac denied that the association registered voters or had organisational links to the SNS or the Serbian embassy, while acknowledging its members’ political support for Vučić. KRIK said the embassy and Serbia’s foreign ministry did not answer its questions about the arrangements.
Lawyer Vladimir Tupanjac, cited by KRIK, argued that the procedures described would be incompatible with the rules governing overseas registration, under which voters submit requests through diplomatic or consular missions and the relevant authorities in Serbia make the registration decision. The legal assessment is his, not an official court ruling.
Why it matters for Serbia’s election
With voting scheduled for Sunday, 25 October, the immediate question is whether eligible citizens abroad had equal access to registration irrespective of their political views. Any substantiated interference would be a serious election-integrity concern. Equally, allegations should not be converted into claims about an election result without verified evidence about scale or effect.
The Vienna reports also form part of wider scrutiny of Serbia’s voter records. Votendi has separately examined reported gaps in voter address data, an issue distinct from the allegations about diaspora registration.
Sources: KRIK, original investigation (21 October 2026); KRIK, report on Austrian complaints (23 October 2026). Reporting as of 23 October 2026.
