Last news about the relationship certification of the Serbian List for participation in the parliamentary elections in Kosovo (February 9) reads: "On Wednesday (December 25), the Electoral Panel for Complaints and Petitions (ELP) annulled the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) on non-certification of the Serbian List and ordered the CEC to certify that list".
Photo: KossevCentral Election Commission of Kosovo (CEC)
Photo: Kossev
From the moment of making the decision IPŽP has a 48-hour deadline for submitting an appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision. That is why the CEC will wait for the legal proceedings to end before including this point in the agenda, CEC spokesman Valjmir Eljezi said in a statement to Gazeta Express.
What happened?
On Monday (December 23), two members of Self-Determination in the CEC, Sami Kurteš and Alban Krasnić, expressed their opposition to confirming the Serbian list.
Why?
They say it is because of the nationalist appeals of the president of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek, that were made during the presentation of the list.
"The Republic of Kosovo is never mentioned, but rather Kosovo and Metohija." They don't say 'long live Kosovo, long live Serbia'. "Representatives of this list maintain contact with Vučić's government, where you can see Radoičić, who is linked to the terrorist attack in Banjska, and more recently in Ibar-Lepenac," said Kurteši.
Reaction of the international community
There was no legal basis for not approving the Serbian List, and this was confirmed by the President of the CEC, Krešnik Radonjići, the day after the disapproval (Tuesday).
The international community reacted to this decision of the CEC: the USA, the European Union (EU), the OSCE and the German ambassador Jern Rode.
He wrote on the "X" social network that he shares the concerns of the EU and the US regarding the lack of verification of the Serbian list. "Equal application of the law for all is necessary." The certification process is a strictly formal procedure that should not be politicized."
What, then, is the goal of this play?
Director of the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER) Dragiša Mijačić and coordinator of the Working Group of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35 told "Vreme" that the Self-Determination Movement used the stage of the CEC to put pressure on the competent authorities in order to obtain a possible ban participation of the Serbian List in the upcoming elections for the Assembly of Kosovo.
Our interlocutor also says that there was no legal basis for such a decision and that this game plan "was aimed at positioning political actors, primarily the Self-Determination Movement, among ethnically determined voters among Kosovo Albanians and reducing the coalition potential of the Serbian List for participation in the future Government of Kosovo".
Eternal derby between Belgrade and Pristina
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that no one should expect a different attitude from members of Self-Determination.
On the other hand, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated that Aljbin Kurti is trying to eliminate one political opponent in Kosovo, namely the Serbian List.
What is the actual political background? Mijačić says that the Self-Determination Movement is trying in every way to manipulate the emotions of the voters in Kosovo on an ethnic basis, all with the aim of winning the majority of votes for the independent formation of the Government without coalition partners.
"Therefore, it should not be surprising if another similar event happens, which will further create divisions in Kosovo", indicates the interlocutor of "Vremena".
Actions and consequences
The divisions in Kosovo have long been sufficiently pronounced. The question arises of the popularity of the Serbian List not only after this event, but also after everything that happened in previous years. Only in the previous two years, Srpska lista was one of those that "made sure" that the Serbs in Kosovo, after leaving the institutions in November 2022, are not taken care of - by anyone.
"These elections will show the real strength of the Serbian List, that is, whether they will succeed in winning all ten reserved parliamentary mandates for members of the Serbian community, or whether this time other political subjects will also succeed in winning mandates in the Kosovo parliament," explains Mijačić.
He adds that many Serbs are dissatisfied with the actions of the Serbian List in the past few years, but it is difficult to assess whether this dissatisfaction will be reflected in the election results.
"It is certainly expected that the Serbian List will get fewer votes than before, but at this moment it is not possible to estimate how many fewer votes it will be, and therefore fewer mandates," concludes our interlocutor.
28 political entities applied for the parliamentary elections in Kosovo, i.e. parties, coalitions, civil initiatives and independent candidates. Five parties are from Serbian communities. And that, the Serbian List, the Party of Kosovo Serbs, For Freedom, Justice and Survival, Serbian Democracy and a civic initiative Narodna Pravda.
