The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo says it is ready to collect ballots if Serbia’s parliamentary elections are held in Kosovo’s Serb-majority municipalities, but such an operation would require approval from Kosovo’s institutions.
The OSCE told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo’s relevant institutions and decision-makers have already been informed about Serbia’s request to hold the October 25 parliamentary elections in Kosovo and that the mission is now awaiting their response.
“The Mission is ready to implement such an operation, under the same conditions as in previous cases. This entails the approval of the relevant parties and the provision of the necessary security conditions,” the OSCE said.
Earlier, Petar Petković, director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo, asked the OSCE to provide support for enabling elections for the Serbian Parliament to be held in Kosovo as well.
Radio Free Europe asked the Kosovo Government whether it was aware of Serbia’s request and whether the matter was being considered, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has previously said that Serbia should submit a direct request for the organization of its elections in Kosovo rather than having the OSCE act as an intermediary. Serbia rejected that approach, arguing that doing so would amount to recognizing Kosovo’s independence.
Kurti’s government ended the practice of holding Serbian elections in Kosovo in 2022, including in municipalities where members of the Serb community live.
In January of that year, the Kosovo Assembly also adopted a resolution opposing the holding in Kosovo of Serbia’s referendum on constitutional amendments.
The international community has repeatedly called on Kosovo authorities to find a way to enable Serbian elections to be held for eligible voters in Kosovo.
Kurti has said on several occasions that Kosovo does not seek to deny voting rights to citizens of Kosovo who also hold Serbian citizenship, but that any arrangement must comply with Kosovo’s laws and Constitution.
During Serbia’s most recent parliamentary elections, held in December 2023, Serbs from Kosovo voted in towns near the Kosovo-Serbia border, including Kuršumlija, Raška, Tutin and Vranje, after Kosovo authorities did not allow polling stations to be opened in Kosovo.
The last Serbian parliamentary elections held for the Serb community in Kosovo took place on June 21, 2020.
Those elections followed the previous arrangement under which OSCE personnel collected ballots in Kosovo. The ballots were subsequently transported to Raška and Vranje, two Serbian cities near the Kosovo border, where they were counted.
