How the Election Campaign Is Developing in the North

In Leposaviq, remains of torn Kosovo Serb Party plates can be observed, while no election material of the Independent Liberal Party and coalition “Lyria” can be seen.

Pre-election gatherings in this part of Kosovo are held only by the Serbian List, which is the only one that has the official Belgrade's full support for elections expected to be held in Kosovo.

The pre-election campaign in northern Kosovo, according to observers and citizens' assessments, is largely calm and identified only with the activities of the Serbian List. However, days ago, Serbian political subjects have exchanged mutual accusations of blackmail against voters and that pressure is being put on them.

Dusan Radakovic from the Network of Nongovernmental Organisations for Monitoring Elections “Democracy in Action”, says it has been expected that the pre-election campaign in the north is not too turbulent, but at the borders of technical accuracy and political activities, in the form of conventions, pictures, panovs and plaques. He considers there is room for free campaign, but that the activities of other Serbian political subjects are less, primarily because political subjects like the Independent Liberal Party and coalition “Liria”, on their lists have no candidates from the north.

I don't think the campaign in the north has much priority compared to the Serbian List. The Party of Kosovo Serbs (with headquarters in Leposaviq) has only begun the campaign with the deployment of panova. We've had some problems tearing up the plaques, but I think the priorities of the Independent Liberal Party and the coalition are not in the north. I think that much greater expectations are made towards voters in central Kosovo, in relation to Kosovo's north”, Radakovic stressed.

The Kosovo Serb Party on Sunday has declared that “has caused a small incident”, accusing Serbian List activists of tearing up the plates, while the event has been reported at the police station in Leposaviq.

Taking into account the mutual accusations of Serbian political subjects of pressure on voters, Radakovic says it is a matter of gossip, but if they exist, then it is the Kosovo Prosecutor's job.

There are many different rumors in this whole situation. Each party speaks well of its own side, but specifically if there are such things, they are the prosecution's responsibility. So anyone who has or considers that there is pressure, there are authorized prosecutors to report the case. All the others, as far as I'm concerned, are rumors from all sides in order to absorb the largest number of voters”, Radakovic said.

From the prosecution in northern Mitrovica, they have confirmed that Radio Free Europe has not had cases denounced during the campaign.

Meanwhile, citizens of northern Mitrovica differ on the atmosphere on the eve of early parliamentary elections.

I think that people love our Serbia and love our president and power. I think our people know what our only way and perspective is, and what happens in the background, I don't get in touch with so many people and I'm out of those margins. Sometimes I'm not even here, so I can't give any real expressions”, said Slavica Popovovic of Northern Mitrovica.

Jovanka Nastic, also from this municipality, expresses the opinion that everything is developing in order.

There's nothing I can say that's bad about. It seems nice, everything works normally and citizens behave normally. Everything's fine and so far I haven't noticed any problems or complains to anyone. Citizens decide for themselves and know whom they will vote for”, Nastic said.

I want to tell you that nobody tells me anything, I'm free and I can vote for whom I want and I have no problem. No one has so far told me vote for this or that, but again we will vote for the state of Serbia and along with Serbia”, Ljuba Miljkovic said.

Otherwise, Miroslav from northern Mitrovica considers the pre-election campaign to be unilateral.

He who has money even campaigns. These poorest parties have no chance of doing anything. Almost known what will happen”, Miroslav said.

Asked whether there was pressure on voters, he stressed that something like that has always been.

There have been pressures in any election process before, in the sense of blackmailing if you don't vote then I won't give you this, you won't work and so on. There's a little bit. There's pressure and it's hard. Experience tells us, in previous periods, that lonely soldiers suffer. You understand what I'm thinking”, Miroslav said.

The leaders of Serbian political subjects, with whom Radio Free Europe contacted days ago, have declared that unculturaled behaviour, pressures, threats and blackmail that people will be left without jobs are conveying the election process to the majority Serb environments in Kosovo.

The Serbian list, so far, has had 9 of the 10 deputies' seats in the Kosovo Assembly, as well as guaranteed for the Serb community's deputies. Also, at the top of the 10 Serb majority municipalities are representatives of the Serbian List.