Original article (in Serbian) was published on 10/12/2023; Author: Milica Ljubilić
Just a week before Serbia’s recent parliamentary elections, on December 10, 2023, the web portal Republika released a video originally sourced from Telegram. The video features a woman’s voice purportedly offering 200 euros to two men in exchange for their votes for the “Serbia against violence” slate. However, the video’s credibility is questionable: it only contains audio with no visible faces, and the voices are altered using computer technology. There’s no concrete proof in the video to substantiate the claims of vote-buying by the opposition.
This video appears to be a response to an earlier report by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS), published in late November. The CINS video distinctly captures a member of the SNS party offering a payment of 9,000 dinars (around 77 EUR) for a day’s work in a call center, but only on the condition of voting for their party.
The Serbian Telegraph’s website, Republika.rs, published a headline that read, “A SHOCKING VIDEO OF THE OPPOSITION BUYING VOTES HAS SURFACED! They offer 200 euros for a vote, they try to bribe students with various benefits after the election! (VIDEO)”.
This video, about ninety seconds long, mainly shows close-ups of everyday items like empty coffee cups, water glasses, a lighter, a pack of cigars, and occasionally, a glimpse of someone’s fingers. The setting appears to be a café. The audio includes at least three voices – one female and two male – but they are distorted through computer modification. In the clip, a woman’s voice is heard offering 200 euros each to two men in exchange for voting for the “Serbia against violence” list on December 17, an offer they accept.
“I wanted to give you 200 euros each, what are you going to do with it, who are you going to give it to”… A male voice interrupts her with the question “200 euros per vote?” The female voice answers in the affirmative, after which the male voices say that they will “vote immediately” and ask who should they support.
The woman instructs them, “You vote for seven in the parliamentary elections, so the paper they give you, you circle seven.” She then starts to mention the city elections, but her words become unclear. “I have confidence in you, that’s why I’m telling you. Milan, I especially have confidence in you, if you have someone else who would vote”, says the female voice, ending the conversation.
The video in question, while stirring controversy, lacks concrete evidence to confirm that the individuals involved are actually from the opposition. The faces of the participants are not shown, their voices have been altered, and no visible objects in the video reveal their identities. Consequently, it’s impossible to definitively attribute the conversation to the opposition. Additionally, the time and location of the recording are unclear.
This video, along with the allegations that it involves the opposition, has not only been featured on Republika but also on several other web portals, including Srbija danas, 24 sedam, NS uzivo, Dnevnik, RTV Pancevo, Gradske.info.
The recording seems to have priginated from the “Eastern Future” Telegram channel.
The description of the video states that “an unknown female person from Djlas’s party was filmed offering certain people 200 euros to vote for the list “Serbia against violence”. The tycoon cares a lot about regaining power, so he doesn’t choose a way to achieve it”. However, even in this narrative, the identity of the woman allegedly offering the money remains undisclosed.
The “Eastern Future” Telegram channel, from where the recording originated, is known for its support of the Serbian Progressive Party and its leader, Aleksandar Vucic. This bias is evident from the content shared on the channel. For instance, a recent speech by Vucic at a Jagodina rally was featured prominently, and messages from his rally in Krusevac are also present. Additionally, the channel frequently posts content with a negative tone towards the opposition. With over 46,000 followers, it also covers topics related to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
It seems that the Serbian telegraph’s web portal, Republika, published this video as a response to an earlier video released by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia. The CINS video showed an individual from the SNS party offering a payment of 9,000 dinars for a day’s work in a call center, but with the stipulation of voting for their party.
Specifically, CINS journalist Ivana Milosavljevic successfully infiltrated the call center of the SNS party. Her investigation revealed the operations of this group, uncovering that the employment was coordinated by the hostess agency “M&J Lady Hostess”. Individuals were enticed to vote for SNS in exchange for a job at the call center on election day, along with a daily wage of nine thousand dinars. The CINS footage confirms that these daily wages were paid in cash.
Furthermore, a few days after joining a WhatsApp group of people employed at the SNS call center, Milosavljevic was contacted by a representative from the hostess agency. The agency’s representative detailed the workings of the call center, the amount of the daily wage, and the offer of a substantially higher wage on election day. However, this increased payment was contingent upon voting for SNS. CINS substantiated these claims with an audio recording of the conversation.
After asking the journalist if she will vote on December 17, the woman from the agency explains to her that “we are hiring people who will do it on December 17, because it is a bit crazy for us to pay so many per diems, so much for everything, and have someone who will not vote, who is not with our party, with the president”.
The woman from the agency inquired whether the journalist planned to vote on December 17. She then explained the rationale behind their recruitment strategy: “We are hiring people who will do it on December 17, because it is a bit crazy for us to pay so many per diems, so much for everything, and have someone who will not vote, who is not with our party, with the president”.
“It’s a small condition for employment and all this. And on December 17, the daily wage will be much higher. But when I say much bigger, it will be a really big daily wage (…) first you go to vote and come to work. Do you understand me?” (…) Then you should take a picture of that ballot and send it only to me. No one can know that, no one. This is literally your pass for that day, for work, do you understand?”, explains the woman from this agency in the audio recording.
This situation was further substantiated by a video recorded on the day the CINS journalist went to receive her daily wage for the shift she had worked.
In the video, the owner of the mentioned agency, Milena Markovic, is seen sitting at a table with another girl. Markovic inquires if the journalist can work on December 17, to which the journalist responds affirmatively. Markovic then explains: “The daily wage is nine thousand, and you need to take a photo of your ballot before you come to work. Send me the photo. It’s just a kind of guarantee that you are with us, that you are loyal. Then, you will get the nine thousand.”