Rival parties challenge Serbian List in elections

Serbian List political opponents' talks on participating in the upcoming elections are continuing.

Representatives of political parties from the Serb community's ranks in Kosovo reject calls from the Serbian List, the subject that has so far represented Kosovo Serbs in the country's institutions, to join under an umbrella for the race in the upcoming early parliamentary elections.

The Serbian list, over the past weekend, has called for “unity, all under an umbrella, following Aleksandar Vuciqi's policy, to come to the polls”.

But, Slobodan Petrovic, chairman of the Independent Liberal Party, has ironised with the invitation to join the Serbian List in the race for early parliamentary elections.

“Right this too happens”, Petrovic has said.

He has told Radio Free Europe that the Independent Liberal Party, which has headquarters in Gracanica, is willing to approach elections as independent or in coalition with any other Serb party in Kosovo.

“We are absolutely certain that we have unequivocal support from our community for this party, especially in the last period. Trusting us is increasingly, and all political factors, especially the Serbian List, know that. That's why they're nervous. Campaigns have not begun yet and they have started to kidnap people”, Petrovic said.

The Serbian list, over the weekend, has stated that two people from the Independent Liberal Party, the director of this party Miroslav Ristic and Mladen Stankovovic, have come to the list, meanwhile, Slobodan Petrovic has denied that it is about his party's director, because such a post does not exist there, but is about a regular member.

On Monday, the Serbian List has declared that even the Municipal Council of Independent Liberal Party in Kamenica has collectively joined the Serbian List.

Petrovic says talks on a joint approach to the elections are taking place among more individuals and Serbian political parties.

“All those who have will and will, as well as the goal of working on empowering the quality of life of the Serbian community, for its survival, to improve living conditions, security... all those who have this in their programme, are welcome”, Petrovic said.

Rada Trajkovic from the Alliance for Serbia in Kosovo has called the Serbian List's call a totalitarian order.

That order reminds us more in Bolsevism than in a normal call and democratic order. I'd say it's a totalitarian order and something that can't even be called”, Trajkovic said.

To the calls of the Serbian List, Nenad Rassic, chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party, has reacted negatively, as has the headquarters in Gracanica.

The one for which they are invited is the truth and this is not unity. They are proposing that we unconditionally accept what they think is right and reasonable”, Rassic told Radio Free Europe.

He has added that the Democratic Progressive Party will stand in the elections, but it is still not sure whether it will participate as alone or in any coalition with others.

There are potential interests, either from grouping or from political representatives, but this has not yet taken concrete form. When there are more than a few organizations in that planning, there are always various proposals or requirements that perhaps do not match others. By the end of the week, we should know what it's going to look like and in which form we're going to get to the election”, Rassic said.

Meanwhile, Rada Trajkovic, says Serbs should come up in the upcoming elections, though the opposition in Serbia may object.

“I think that if it is very important for us to present ourselves, although we have limited opportunities and resources, to somehow prove the three levels of power which Vuciq has over Kosovo Serbs, to reduce them”, Trajkovic said, alluding to local and central power in Kosovo.

“A large number of Serbs is controlled in that way that employers in the Kosovo system are representatives of the Serbian List. Then there is also the third level, which comes from Belgrade and here I am talking about health, education, pensions and other”, Trajkovic said, adding that in terms of participation in Kosovo's elections is talking to political representatives who are set not to be part of the Serbian List.

Ksenija Bozovic from the Civic Initiative “Liberty, Democracy, Justice”, whose leader has been the murdered Serbian politician, Oliver Ivanovic, points out that he has not yet decided whether to go to the polls. But, as she says, it is open to talks and co-operation.

We're talking about that to everyone, except we still don't have any invitation from the Serbian List. Nothing has changed on the ground, neither the Law for Elections nor anything else in relation to the past two election processes. Given that we have had many unpleasant things, embarrassment, even murder, which has not yet been enlightened, we will bring the decision very carefully regarding the exit to the election”, Bozovic said.

Serbian List Chairman Goran Rakiq, over the weekend, at a media conference in northern Mitrovica, has declared that in the upcoming elections “there is no room for non-unity” and that “all together, reconciled and unique”, can go away and try “for the survival and resistance of the Serbian people in these” spaces.

Of course, always with our country and following the policy of our president Aleksandar Vuciq”, Rakic said.

He stressed that there should be no division between Serbs, and that is their duty to the heirs and the ancients.

So far, the Serb community in Kosovo has been represented in the country's institutions mainly through the Serbian List, which in the Kosovo Assembly has had 9 of the 10 MPs representing the Serb community.

In the recent local elections in the four majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, which were held following the resignation of the mayors of these municipalities (all from the Serbian List) ) because of the 100 per cent tax on Serbian products imposed by the Kosovo government é in addition to candidates from the Serb List, there has been no candidate from other Kosovo Serb political subjects.

The Kosovo Assembly has been distributed on August 22nd, a month after Ramush Haradinaj's resignation from the prime minister's position.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has announced on Monday his decision to hold early parliamentary elections in the country on 6 October of this year.