The turnout at the general elections in Serbia by 5 p.m. on Sunday was 44.1 percent, which is 2 percent more than at the 2008 parliamentary elections, the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) has announced.

CeSID programme director Marko Blagojevic told a news conference at the Tanjug Press Club that the turnout was 4 percent lower than at the first round of the 2008 presidential poll. There are no dramatic differences in turnout compared to previous elections, he stressed.

CeSID observers, who are present at around 1,000 polling stations, recorded the lowest turnout in Belgrade, 40.5 percent, and the highest in central Serbia, 46 percent, while 43.2 percent voted in Vojvodina. There have been no serious irregularities during the vote, neither in number nor in character, Blagojevic pointed out.

People have complained about receiving phone messages from parties and flyers in their mailboxes, but that does not constitute a violation of the election silence as long as the flyers are not within 50 m of a polling station, he explained.

CeSID will present new information about the turnout and election activities at 7:55 p.m., the earliest preliminary results of the elections at around 9:30 p.m. and hold the final news conference at the Tanjug Press Club at 10 p.m.. The Tanjug news agency and CeSID are organizing comprehensive election coverage throughout the day on Sunday, and in the evening, a series of panel discussions on Serbia's political and economic future.