Serbs for participation in February 9th elections

Nicolasa from Northern Mitrovica believes that members of the Serb community in Kosovo, in the upcoming February 9th parliamentary elections, should show that “remains at play”, but that they need new “players or trainers” so their voice can be heard in Kosovo institutions.

“We no longer know where we are going and where we are hitting”, he tells Radio Free Europe.

Nemanja, another Serb citizen, believes Serbs from the north of Kosovo have never had to leave Kosovo institutions after agreeing to participate in them, while Nenad defends the idea of Serbs participating in the elections, but with “young and fair people”.

You need to get to that choice. Of course it'll be better for us Serbs. The police weren't supposed to take off their uniforms. Since then, everything has gone to a negative direction”, Blagoja says, also from North Mitrovica.

In the current composition of the Kosovo Assembly -- nine out of the ten seats guaranteed for the Serb community -- belong to the Serb List -- the largest Serb party in Kosovo, which has the backing of official Belgrade and Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq.

These MPs do not participate in the hearings, due to “strategic selection” As they have named the boycott of Kosovo institutions, they appear once in six months, not to lose mandates.

The Serbian list has not yet officially confirmed that it will participate in the elections, but its chairman, Zlatko Ellek, said something like that is expected.

After the party's meeting in Gracanica on November 25th, he told reporters that all actions have been prepared, which defines the Central Election Commission for participating in the election, but that the decision of Serbian List leadership and authorities is still expected.

Marija from Northern Mitrovica believes it would be a positive “opening” if the Serbian List would participate in the February 9th elections, so that the Serb community could have “its valid representatives”.

The voice of Serbs from the north would be heard again to a certain”, she says.

Stevani from Leposaviqi also believes that Serbs should come up in Kosovo's parliamentary elections, “to take things into their hands democratically”.

He says that the people are confused because he does not yet know whether to participate in the elections.

The people are like sheep, we go this way, we go that way, we want, we don't want. I don't even know”, says Stevany.

Previous Serbian List Turnout in Elections

Since its founding in 2013, the Serbian List received over 90 per cent of voters' votes from the Serb community in almost all election processes in which it participated.

However, this party twice boycotted local elections in northern Kosovo municipalities, following the Serb decision in November 2022 to flee all Kosovo institutions in northern Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvecan and Zubin Potok.

The Kosovo government's insistence on replacing car plates, issued by Serbian authorities, with Kosovo license plates, became due to this decision.

Local elections later boycotted other Serbian political parties and power in the four Serb majority municipalities in the north, and Albanian mayors took over.

Leposava from Gracanica ʹ one of the six Serb majority municipalities south of the Iber River has no specific position for participation in the February 9th elections.

“like everyone else, so am I”, she says.

However, he adds, it would be good for Serbs to be part of Kosovo institutions, “because we live here”.

Nenad Rassic, leader of the political Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival, confirmed earlier to Radio Free Europe that he will participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Turnout in these elections was confirmed in principle also by the Serbian People's Movement and Milija Bisevac and Branimir Stojanovich, as well as by Aleksandar Jablanovich's Party of Kosovo Serbs.

Aleksandar Arsenijevic's Serb democracy has not yet made a decision.

Importance of MP mandates

Serbian politician Ognjen Gogic says the so-called boycott of elections from the Serbian List could lead to a low turnout of members of the Serb community, or make the ten parliamentary mandates reserved for the Serb community under the Kosovo Constitution go to other political parties.

He stresses that if the Serbian List decides to boycott these elections as well, Belgrade will support it, while other political representatives who will participate in the elections will be declared “traitors”.

He says he believes the Serbian List will try to preserve parliamentary mandates, because they are crucial to adopting important laws in the Kosovo Assembly.

For example, constitutional changes in Kosovo are not possible without the support of two-thirds of the votes of minority community representatives. In practice, this means that at least seven votes of representatives of the Serb community would be needed for changing the Kosovo Constitution.

It is important that Serb representatives have a minimum consensus on what the interests of Serbs are. Therefore, MPs' mandates are important. They have the power to influence the adoption of some important regulations”, Gogic says.

He adds that securing the ten parliamentary mandates from the Serbian List does not mean they will not support some changes that are harmful to the Serb community.

The Serbian “List, simply, wants it to benefit, is what benefits and not anyone else. Therefore, it wants to control at least those seven parliamentary mandates”, Gogic says.

According to him, this party has priority over others because it has Belgrade's support. Consequently, he adds, there is also the “capacity to control” employees of Serbian institutions in Kosovo, as well as all those who have some kind of financial assistance from the Government's budget of Serbia.

Nenad Radosavlevlik, political activist from Leposaviqi and Radio Television Director Mir, also believes the Serbian List will replace its “sector” again, with voters.

“They depend on Belgrade structures and the money sent by Belgrade. This gives them the opportunity to regain power over those few Serbs”, Radosavlevic says.

However, he stresses that many Serbian List leaders are “discredited” by the people and that it will have to put new people on the candidate list.

The Serbian list changed its chairmanship last year, a month after the armed attack on Banjska, which took place 24 September.

For that attack, where a Kosovo policeman was killed, Serb List deputy leader Milan Radojic took responsibility.

The party is now headed by Zlatan Ellek, the task director of the Clinical Hospital Centre in Northern Mitrovica. / REL/