Northern Serbs under conditions for new elections

For holding new early elections in the country's four northern municipalities, the Serb population that is majority in these areas has conditions.

They during a conversation for Kosova Prees, say they want the Association of Serb majority municipalities established first, then that the police withdraw from the north, to free all Serb prisoners, as well as Albanian mayors of municipalities, so that they can then participate in elections organised by the Kosovo government.

Svetomir Boskovic, a citizen from northern Mitrovica, says holding elections in the north is necessary, but after all conditions that Serbs have long sought out are met.

He cited the establishment of association, the withdrawal of all police forces from the north, as well as the release of municipal and educational spaces, as condition for Serb participation in the election.

It is proper to hold elections, be legal and legitimate. But there are conditions that must first be met... To withdraw all police forces, free municipal and educational spaces...who is also the formation of the Association of Serb majority municipalities that was signed eleven years ago... The preconditions are these, that's the condition (to sign the petition), Boskovovic said.

Lubomir Miljkovic, too, has conditioned participation in the election.

He, among other things, has cited the release of all Serb prisoners as the condition to stand in the elections.

The “The elections must be maintained, but the conditions must be met, to form the Association of Serb majority municipalities, to release those arrested, means to meet all conditions... and even the false heads who are not representing the majority, they represent a minority... According to all likelihood, the population will not appear (to sign the petition) ...until conditions are not met, I doubt there will be something”, Miljkovic stressed.

Mileva Bascarevic, also citizen of northern Mitrovica, said Albanians and Serbs should live together and have equal rights.

But he added that Serbs seek some already recognised conditions, without the fulfillment of which they will not participate in the elections.

The elections must be held, Serb majority municipalities formed, and we all live together and have equal rights... Even the cops be Serbian and Albanian... Citizens will not stand in the elections unless there is an Association of Serb majority municipalities”, she said.

On the other hand, Emir Azemi, the connoisseur of political developments from the north of Mitrovica, has indicated that for the situation in the country's north, a political agreement between the parties in the process, as well as strong guarantees by the US, for holding free and democratic elections.

He prefers the mayors' resignation as an easier and better option, because, as it turned out, the election process through petition is very complicated and impossible.

Azem has suggested that signing the petition for the dismissal of 20 per cent of voters -- meaning the first phase of the process -- is possible and can be realised. But, as he said, the process will be complicated during the second phase, which included the release of 50 per cent plus one voters.

According to him, if there are 20 thousand voters in the northern municipality of Mitrovica on the voter list, that means they have to come out to sign 10,000 plus one voter, which is impossible.

Northern Mitrovica, he added, has about 12,000 residents of the residence, and if in the second phase, more than 10,000 citizens should vote, then it would be impossible or it would have to have one person vote many times to reach fifty plus one, and thus the election process would be hurt.

I think that for the situation in Kosovo's north, there will be no political agreement between the ongoing parties, a strong US grant that this electoral process should not fail, there will be no interference as it has been in the past, and there will be free, fair and democratic elections, where civic lists, political subjects, and the results from civic will and neither pressure, from the obligation that can come from outside or from inside, and in a form to complete this process of reintegration Kosovo's majority municipalities...

So I say otherwise, I think a 20 percent petition could be a process or a political will to prove that Serbs will participate in the election, but if they go to the second phase which is fifty plus one, I think this is where the process will be blocked, because in my opinion it's incapacitated and unmovable, as seen by the past to turn out over 10,000 citizens to vote in an election process... It is very difficult to achieve a vote of fifty plus one, in a process after the 20 per cent that is envisioned with administrative instruction”, explain for Kosovas Azemi.

Otherwise, early elections in Kosovo's northern municipalities are cited as an option for reducing the situation, as taking office from Albanian mayors to the 23 April elections has caused tensions and unrest since May 26th, while in these elections Serb voter turnout should be secured, but also as candidates. /kp/