Both Government and Serbs Under Election Conditions

The elections are cited as an option for reducing the situation, as taking office from Albanian leaders, released from the April 23rd elections, has caused tensions and unrest since May 26th.

For this situation, Kosovo has blamed Serbia, Serbia's “criminal structures”, organised by itself, respectively, while Serbia has Kosovo.

“The rule of law is the prerequisite of free and democratic elections, along with open electoral campaigns and fer”, Kosovo Government spokesman for Radio Free Europe Kryeziu, says of Kryeziu.

“criminal and extremist groups must either be arrested for their attacks, or let them flee to Serbia since even there have come not a few of them”, he says.

Kryeziu also says that in the new elections, both voters and candidates should ensure turnout.

April elections have been boycotted by the Serbian community and its political representatives, with the excuse that their demands for more autonomy have not been met.

The Serbian List ʹ the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo is again conditioning participation in the elections with the withdrawal of the Kosovo Special Police Unit from the northern part of the country and the formation of the Association of Major Serb municipalities in Kosovo under the Brussels Agreement.

“The priority issues that must be resolved to expand the situation on the ground, which are also the requests of Serbs in northern Kosovo and Metohija, are: evacuation of the special forces of [Kosovo Prime Minister Albin] Kurti from municipal buildings in the north; false mayors who do not have legitimacy and legitimacy, do not come to these objects, because they have not chosen citizens, and the unjustly released detainees, Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenoviq”, Serbian List Free Europe Free Chairman Igor Symati tells Radio.

Petrovic and Obrenovic have been arrested on May 29th, when Serb protesters have clashed with NATO peacekeeping mission soldiers in Kosovo, KFOR. They are accused of criminal acts: “reunification for unconstitutional actions, with the aim of attacking Kosovo's constitutional order, endangering persons under international protection” and “assault on officials”.

Kosovo, now ten years old, refuses to establish association with the argument that it would negatively influence the internal functionality of the state.

Following the international countries' pressure, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has unveiled his vision of granting a certain level of self-awareness to the Serbian community, while the Serb side has also emerged, with the draft Association state. Pristina and Belgrade are continuing negotiations on this topic.

What do citizens say?

Until it is clear how the parties will act against each other's conditions, Srgjan from Northern Mitrovica says he would participate in the elections if they were held.

I would participate in this election, even though I would not consider it a choice of vital importance, are local elections, for resolving local technical issues. Of course, there would be some calm [of the situation]... The condition would be for Serbs to secure some authority in the security field”, Srgjan says.

He, as well, says there must be democratic conditions for holding elections -- that is, Belgrade's “mos put pressure” on citizens to vote.

Official Belgrade supports the Serbian List since its formation in 2013. In any election so far, this party has won more than 90 per cent of Serbian votes. However, EU observers have stressed in their reports that it has monopolized the political life of Serbs.

Even Bane from North Mitrovica says he would most likely appear in local elections, but stresses that he does not trust Kosovo or Serbian authorities.

“I doubt the elections that will be held here will change something. So it's going to be what I think it's already agreed on, just as by now”, says Bane.

Marko would participate in the elections only if the demands of Serbs from the north of Kosovo are met, so if special police withdraw and the arrested co-members are released.

“So far, all the elections that have been organised have not been authoritarian, so I don't think these will be anything special either, says North Mitrovica resident.

His position that the election thus far has not been “authorising”, he explains, citing Serbian List pressures.

If people are forced into elections, then those choices lose their importance, so, in this respect, I don't think I'd finally come out of”, Marko says.

Hajoll: Dialogue with Serb community in the north

Violet Hajoli, from the Kosovo Democratic Institute (IDK), tells Radio Free Europe that the Kosovo Government requirements are legitimate, but that they cannot be achieved without the international factor.

“The demand for the removal of criminal gangs from the north is reasonable, but, in this direction, more can do the international factor, putting greater pressure on Belgrade to withdraw criminal structures that endanger peace there”, Hajoli says.

The Kosovo government, she adds, should have dialogue with the Serb community in the north and their political representatives to ensure a calm and stable situation in that part of the country.

The messages that must be conveyed should be positive, in the spirit of peace and coexistence. The Government's goal should be to integrate this community as much as possible and address its demands”, says Hajoll.

According to her, the April elections with fewer than 4 percent participation have not had civic legitimacy.

It is irrational that this part of the country, where these municipalities have Serb majority, is led by Albanian mayors, as they do not have civic legitimacy”, Hajoli says.

Why are there remarkable elections in the north?

Western countries have proposed organising new elections to calm tensions in northern Kosovo.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has said the new elections are possible if they petition and sign 20 percent of the citizens registered in the election register. On the basis of Kosovo's laws, the process for announcing new elections would thus be initiated.

In addition, the other option is whether any greater political reconciliation is achieved and the new Albanian mayors, in this case, resign.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, after talking with several American officials, has said that the evacuation of violent crowds in front of municipal buildings and full implementation of the Brussels Agreement [of normalisation of Kosovo- Serbia] is the way of suspension until new elections”.

Later, on 3 June, he has said there can be no new mayors in four municipalities in the north without new elections.

Tensions in northern Kosovo have increased when Kosovo Police on May 26th helped Albanian mayors Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok enter municipal facilities, which the local Serb population has strongly opposed.

The buildings of these three municipalities have so far operated on the provisional municipal authorities working in the Serbian system, which are illegal for Kosovo.

Just north of Mitrovica, the municipality object is divided physically according to the Kosovo system and Serbia, and for that reason, there were no protests.

The European Union said it expects Kosovo to ease tensions and immediately suspend police operations near municipal buildings in northern Kosovo.