How did Kosovo Serbs vote in Serbia's elections?

Miroslav Radomirovic from Northern Mitrovica ? The Serb-run municipality in northern Kosovo says that Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq received absolute “support” of Kosovo Serbs in the December 17th elections, but that no one in his town knows that “are the ones who have voted “

He says his fellow citizens mention Vuciqi only in the negative “ ”, due to all events and crises in northern Kosovo, in recent years.

We feel so much sadness and anger that we have not been able to vote here [on Kosovo territory], but in Race. It would be best for none of us to go there to vote”, Radomirovic tells Radio Free Europe.

The Kosovo government did not allow Serbia's elections to be held on Kosovo territory without an official Belgrade direct request. So, on December 17th, Serbs from Kosovo several organised by buses, and some in private cars voted in the border cities of Serbia: Kursumli, Rushh, Killed and Tutti.

According to preliminary results of the Republic of Serbia Elections Commission, the right to vote in these cities used 23.878 voters from Kosovo, or about 25 percent of those eligible to vote.

Nearly 72 percent or about 17 thousand of them voted the “list Serbia should not stop”, led by Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.

Similar percentages of support from Kosovo Serbs cited Vuciq himself on the evening of December 17th.

According to Republika Election Commission data in Serbia, the elections list “Ivica Daciq ʹ prime minister of Serbia” received about 9 per cent of the voters' votes from Kosovo, while Serbia's “list against violence” 4.36 per cent.

Support for Vucinqi in past elections

According to data from Serbia's Statistics Institute, in the presidential elections held in Serbia last April, Aleksandar Vucinic received about ten per cent more support, whether about 80 per cent of Serbian votes in Kosovo. At the time, nearly 20,000 voters, or 20 percent of the total, voted, while Vucinqi voted 15.851.

Parliamentary elections in Serbia were held even in April 2022, where the “list Aleksandar Vuciq we can do everything” received about 12,000 voters' votes from Kosovo, or about 64 per cent.

What else do Kosovo citizens say?

Radovan from North Mitrovica believes Vuciq “is more convincing” when it comes to the electorate in Kosovo.

The people are unhappy, life is hard, politics has entered every house, there is divisions within a family. Second, pensioners live very badly, prices are rising, children have nowhere to work”, he says.

He says “as Vuciq has no magic wand”, but that “we no longer know what to think”.

Dragica, also from Northern Mitrovica, believes Vuciq has the absolute support of Serbs from Kosovo and hopes for a better future.

Momirka from Gracanica's Serb-run municipality near Pristina expresses similar stances.

According to her, these preliminary results, in fact, show that Kosovo Serb “trust Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq”. It demonstrates the hope that he “will continue with good policy”.

“I expect to improve... is getting better, but it can't be done immediately”, she says.

Dragan says he doesn't see any better perspective. According to him, “has become routine” for Serbs from Kosovo to vote for Vuciqi and the late-led Serbian Progressive Party.

Asked what he expects, he says: “absolutely nothing”, but adds that “would want Serbian institutions to survive in Kosovo”.

How do Kosovo Serbs vote?

Serbian politician Ognjen Gogic says Serbs from Kosovo, in general, vote for the ruling party in Serbia and in this context, he adds, Vuciq has the support of most Kosovo Serbs.

But, on the other hand, we must take into account the circumstances under which this vote took place, which are not only specific for Kosovo Serbs, but also for citizens in Serbia. So it's about the freedom citizens have to decide who to vote for, says Gogic.

He adds that Serbs in Kosovo have not even been able to express support for the opposition, because “are financially dependent on Belgrade”.

Serbia's institutions operate in the majority Serb environments in Kosovo, and their workers' salaries are separated from Serbia's budget.

On December 14th, Radio Free Europe wrote about several claims that these institutions are “angensed” to collect support for Vuciqi.

Also, on December 7th, the head of the Clinical Hospital Centre in Northern Mitrovica, Zlatan Ellek, publicly distributed over 200 indefinitely-term contracts, more than 200 workers were introduced into permanent labour relations, respectively.

Ellek, in late October, was elected chairman of the Serbian List, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo, which has the backing of the Serbian Progressive Party.

During awarding contracts, he called on employees of the Clinical Hospital Centre to be united on December 17th and “not to allow Serbia to stop”.

REL tried to get a comment from Elek on the election results in Serbia, but without success. Meanwhile, he told local media that the results did not surprise him because Kosovo Serb “trust President Vuciq”.

Will Kosovo politics change?

Politologist Ognjen Gogic says Serbia and the new government will have to implement their obligations from the dialogue on normalising relations with Kosovo, which is conducted under the European Union's mediation.

According to him, Vuciq, in some way, has tried to buy out “time during the elections, to avoid full implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, aimed at normalising Kosovo-Serbia relations.

This document was accepted by both sides in February, while for the annex of implementation they agreed in March in Ohrid.

But despite this agreement, Vuciq and other Serbian Progressive Party officials have said that “will never allow Kosovo to become a member of the United Nations”.

Serbia wants to postpone meeting its obligations until the moment the international community's attention does not focus on Kosovo”, Gogic says, alluding to next year's US and European Parliament elections.

The director of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, Petar Petkovovic, said on Monday that Serbs from Kosovo “support President Vuciq”'s statehood policy and “recognise his persistent and steadfast fight for our national interests in Kosovo and Metohija”.

Serbia's “State will continue to strengthen our people in the province and fight for its peace and security”, Petkov said.

Until the publication of this article, authorities in Kosovo have not commented on the outcome of elections in Serbia