Deputy Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu from the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), has strongly criticized civil society for failing to react to the rhetoric of the Serb List, which she claims “insults everything about our Republic.”
In a Facebook post, Haxhiu accused the Serb List of once again insulting caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the opening of its campaign in North Mitrovica, saying that party officials were “waiting for the time to be ‘liberated’ from him” while chanting support for “Brother Milan.”
Haxhiu recalled that LVV had previously demanded the disqualification of the Serb List in both the February parliamentary elections and the upcoming October local elections. At that time, she said, civil society had reacted against LVV, but now remained silent in the face of insults made during the rally.
“Civil society, so eager to oppose LVV when we challenged the Serb List, is today asleep while they insult everything of our Republic,” Haxhiu wrote.
Hours later, Eugen Cakolli of the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) responded, acknowledging that the Serb List’s campaigns have “always been built on inflammatory rhetoric and offensive language toward Kosovo’s institutions.” He pointed to a banner displayed in North Mitrovica, which read “All with our brother Millan”.
While the banner appeared to reference Millan Radojević, the Serb List’s candidate for North Mitrovica mayor, Cakolli argued it was in fact a veiled reference to Milan Radoičić – the former deputy leader of the Serb List and a wanted man in Kosovo, indicted for the 2023 Banjska armed attack in which a Kosovo police officer was killed.
Cakolli urged the Elections Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) to take action, saying the Serb List should be forced to publicly distance itself from Radoičić, or face serious fines – or both.
The rally in North Mitrovica also included calls to “take back our municipalities” and “reclaim Mitrovica,” reflecting the Serb List’s ongoing opposition to Kosovo’s institutions. Currently, the four northern municipalities, with majority Serb populations, are governed by Albanian mayors, after Serb officials resigned in 2022 and boycotted the 2023 local elections.
During the rally, Serb List deputy leader Ivan Zaporozhac claimed that Kosovo Serbs had faced “great pressure” over the past three years under Kurti’s leadership, accusing him of trying to strip away their “rights, freedom, and dignity.”
The Serb List’s mayoral candidate, Millan Radojević, echoed these sentiments, stating that Serbs want to “take back our city.”
The controversy comes after LVV opposed the Serb List’s certification for the October 12 elections. While the Central Election Commission (CEC) initially voted against certification, the decision was later overturned by both the Elections Complaints and Appeals Panel and the Supreme Court, clearing the Serb List to participate.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, through Chargé d’Affaires Anu Prattipati, expressed concern about any attempt to restrict Serb participation in Kosovo’s elections, underlining Washington’s support for inclusive democratic processes.
Analysts say the future of the Serb List, the largest Kosovo Serb party backed by Belgrade, remains uncertain, given its reliance on nationalist rhetoric and ongoing ties to figures accused of violence.
