North Candidate: There were terror threats, Serbs forced to go to barricades

The only Serbian candidate in the election for mayor of Zvecan municipality, Slagjana Pantovic, in an interview for Kosovo Press said the time has come for changes following the ten-year rule of the Serbian List in this municipality. She has accused Goran Rakiqi's party of turning the north into a North Korea, where Serbs have been living in terror.

Pantovic, who is a lawyer by profession, considers that the unemployment rate and social cases are high, while there are accusations of nepotism as well. It promises to intervene immediately by restoring meritocracy as employment criteria in this municipality.

According to her, co-operation between Albanians and Serbs, but also other communities, is necessary and in the best interests of all.

After ten years of Serbian List leadership, this city needs change... There's a lot of change, there's a lot of young people unemployed, there's a lot of social cases, there's a lot of nepotism where they're employed in family, social bases, so I want to change that from the start, based on what's in my chances. Later, of course, in agreement with the prime minister and with power responsibilities, we will work on city regulation, infrastructure and others, so we will all slowly and in turn do, but changes are really necessary”, Pantovic said.

Pantovic, in an interview for Kosova Prees, said all Serbs have been forced to follow orders coming from the Serbian List if they were asked to go to the gatherings they were obliged to leave, also if they were required to come to the barricades, they had to leave the barricades.

The main problems of citizens are that they've lived simply as in North Korea, a party system, under terror. It means if the president says everybody at the rally, then everyone should go to the rally, everyone at the barricades, everyone at the barricades. It means people have been forced, threatened, so I think people should be granted freedom of speech and rights... I hope that human consciousness has begun to function after ten years of oppression, finally people realize that the real difference is for them... We should simply, whether or not, co-operate for the benefit of all of us, such as Serbs, Albanians, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma”, Pantovic said.

Pantovic stressed that the presence of the Kosovo Police in Zvecan has influenced the situation to be calmer in the northern part.

A day earlier, Aleksandar Jabllanovqi's Party of Kosovo Serbs withdrew from the April 23rd election race for reasons there are no conditions for maintaining them.

However, Pantovic said there are conditions for holding elections, even saying there were in December, when they were initially meant to hold these elections.

She said she does not believe there will be major incidents during the elections, until for minor incidents she said there have always been in the north.

I can tell you that the security situation in Zvecan, since it is the Kosovo Police, ROSU, it's very quiet. You see, it's quiet, it's probably quiet before the storm, but honestly I tell you to us in Kosovo they've never held elections and there's never been an incident, there may be a small incident, but I doubt. This time I'm sure it'll be okay and everything will be fine, because I think our Prime Minister Kurti has arranged for everything to be under control and so it will be... Yes, yes (there are conditions for holding elections), there have been even in December, I find it strange and I have seen it great why Kurt had postponed the December elections, also given the case to the Serbian List, and given the case to the workers who abandoned Kosovo institutions, but the latter did not abandon institutions voluntarily, they did so under pressure”, she said.

Zvecan's candidate for chairman, said she does not feel too secure because of her running in these elections, but says she does not fear.

Pantovic announced that there were insults after his meeting with Prime Minister Kurti long ago in Pristina, but it is said he has chosen her own path and never regrets it.

I can't tell you I'm feeling very safe, but I'm not afraid. As long as these cops are here, I live nearby. I trust Kurt, I support his policy... There were different thoughts about me on Facebook (after meeting with Kurt), I don't know how to tell you, insult, that I'm working for Albanians, but I haven't seen enough people because everybody's right in their opinion, I've chosen my solution, I don't regret it, I've supported Kurt for four years, I'll support 44 more years if I have to... My message is that citizens now will be conscious, that maybe they want change, because of their future and children, Pantovic told Kosovas.