North Kosovo elections trigger harsh words, criticisms from Belgrade

Elections that took place in the north of Kosovo in four municipalities with a Serb majority registered the lowest turnout ever in the country’s history at just 3.47%, sparking harsh words from Serbian President Aleksander Vucic and scathing criticism of the EU and US from Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

A total of 19 polling stations were opened in North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Leposavic, with 45,000 Kosovo citizens eligible to vote. But just 1567 people cast a ballot, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Preliminary results show the ruling Vetevendosje Movement won the municipalities of North Mitrovica and Leposaviq, while the Democratic Party of Kosovo won Zvecan and Zubin Potok.

The vote took place after the mass resignation in November 2022 of Serb officials and local politicians over Pristina’s decision to require all Kosovo cars to display Kosovo plates, a problematic request as many Kosovo Serbs do not recognise the country’s independence from Serbia.

Serbian List confirms boycott of local elections in Kosovo

The leaders of the Serbian List – the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo – reconfirmed on Monday that they will not participate in the local elections in the northern municipalities of Kosovo.

Party members resigned en mass in November 2022, …

The elections were originally due to take place on 18 December 2022. Still, due to ethnic Serbs blocking roads and border crossings, stoking fears of a return to conflict between the two countries, the international community asked they be postponed.

Serbian List, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo, chose to boycott the elections, and Serbian institutions made repeated calls for local Serbs to do the same. Meanwhile, on Tuesday Kosovo’s elected Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Belgrade was intimidating Serbs from the north not to participate in the elections.

Despite this, the Head of the CEC, Kreshnik Radoniqi, said the vote took place without any issues.

The United States expressed regret for the low participation of Kosovo Serbs but said they would recognise the results of the vote.

“We support a diverse, inclusive and multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo and the elections that support it. Unfortunately, not all parties used their democratic right to participate in today’s elections. Participation in elections helps ensure that leaders represent the population they serve. Voting is an important freedom of democratic societies”, the US American Embassy in Pristina said in a statement.

French Ambassador Olivier Guerot said that such a low turnout does not help bring political solutions to the region marred by recent tensions.

“These elections with so few voters do not bring political solutions. We regret the lack of participation from some parties. Positive point: the professionalism of the Kosovo police, Kfor / EULEX.” he wrote on Twitter.

Before the vote, the EU expressed its disappointment with the boycott of the elections by Serbian List, which has the support of official Belgrade, and has said that the Serbs must return to the institutions of Kosovo.

“The EU, together with our partners, has engaged with both sides to reduce tensions and for the Kosovo Serbs to fulfil their obligation from the dialogue and return to the institutions, while for Kosovo, to enable this return to be realised. So far, little progress has been made on this point. It is imperative that we return to the situation in which Kosovo Serbs actively participate in local government, police and judiciary in northern Kosovo,” said the EU spokesperson, Peter Stano.

Vucic was vocal in his condemnation of the vote before the opening of polling booths. He announced on Saturday that Serbs would boycott the elections and said that the vote would result in a “complete invasion” [by Albanian politicians] of the north.

“Tomorrow, our people will calmly, responsibly and disdainfully look at those who come from South Mitrovica to vote to elect new leadership in North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok. What will happen next will be a complete invasion for which the citizens are already ready; they are used to it,” He told the Serbian portal Beta.

He also criticised the stance of the EU, stating that no vote should take place before the establishment of the Association of Serb Municipalities, a key point of contention in the ongoing, EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.

Prime Minister Brnabic was even less measured in her comments, calling the elections a “charade” facilitated by the West.

“Remember this day. This is the day when the last European ghetto gets legalised and legitimised. These images truly depict the ‘rule of law’ and the true meaning of ‘democratic elections’ in Kosovo and Metohija as supported by the EU and the Quint,” Brnabić tweeted in reaction to the elections.

She added that they could not be considered free and fair elections as they took place “in temporary containers under the direct supervision of armed forces. Elections – free and fair, with armed forces and armoured vehicles! This is Europe in the 21st century.”

Brnabic added that the elections were the work of the “creators of the Republic of Kosovo’ and called them “hypocrites”.

“Feel proud! Celebrate today your achievements. Bask in the glory of what you have created,” she added sarcastically.

On Sunday, the EU representative for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said that on 2 May, the matter of the association would be addressed along with Serbia’s obligations towards those missing following the 1998-1999 war.

He said the meeting would be “an important meeting for implementing the Agreement and its Annex. The agenda will include the official approval of the Declaration on Missing Persons, the presentation of the first draft Statute of the Association/Community of municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo by the management team and current affairs.”

Lajcak said both sides must be prepared and fully committed to the implementation phase.

Kosovo PM lays down acceptable conditions for Serb association

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti addressed the parliamentary assembly on Thursday and stated the conditions under which the Association of Serb Municipalities would be acceptable.

The association was agreed and signed upon in 2013 under the previous government, but it has …

(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)