Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, during a joint press conference with Minister for Communities and Return, Nenad Rašić, strongly condemned Serbia’s interference in Kosovo’s parliamentary elections, calling it a threat to the country’s democracy and sovereignty.
According to Kurti, Serbia’s interference had a direct impact on the selection of Serb and non-Serb minority deputies, who are fully controlled by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
“Serbia’s interference in our parliamentary elections is an infringement on the democracy and sovereignty of Kosovo. It has affected the selection of Serb and non-Serb minority deputies, who are under the complete control of Vučić,” Kurti stated.
Kurti emphasized that Serbia’s interference in the elections had taken on new forms, especially due to the improved security situation in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo. He explained that, due to previous physical threats, more subtle methods are now being used, such as inducements, financial coercion, blackmail, intimidation, and cyberattacks.
“In the latest elections, the forms of interference have changed because the security situation in the four northern municipalities has significantly improved. The previous brutal, physical interference is no longer possible. Instead, other forms of threats have increased, mainly financial inducements, blackmail, intimidation, and even cyberattacks,” he added.
In another part of his statement, Kurti mentioned Nenad Rašić, who has been continuously threatened by Milan Radoičić. Kurti claimed that Radoičić had attempted to blackmail and force Rašić to withdraw from the election in order to damage his reputation among Serb voters.
“Minister for Communities and Return, Nenad Rašić, has been constantly threatened by Milan Radoičić, who tried to blackmail him in various ways to damage his reputation among Serb voters and force him to withdraw from the race,” Kurti said.
