Officials of the Serb List were received in Serbia by Petar Petković, Director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, a day after the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kosovo decided not to certify the party for participation in the local elections scheduled for October 12.
Petković wrote on X that the meeting in the southwestern Serbian town of Raška took place “after Kurti’s attempt to prevent them from participating in the local elections,” referring to Kosovo’s outgoing Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
“We discussed the political, security, and economic situation in Serbian-majority areas, as well as next steps and support for protecting the interests of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija,” he added.
The CEC decision not to certify the Serb List drew criticism from the QUINT countries and the European Union, which called on the outgoing government and political parties to refrain from taking further steps to block the registration of the Serb List for the October elections.
Serb List officials traveled to meet Petković in Raška just hours after filing an appeal with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) against the CEC’s non-certification decision.
Why Was the Serb List Not Certified?
The CEC’s Political Parties Office, responsible for reviewing party applications for election certification, had recommended that the Serb List be certified.
However, Vetëvendosje members of the CEC, Sami Kurteshi and Alban Krasniqi, opposed the certification, arguing that most of the party’s candidates are also part of parallel Serbian structures, and described the party as an “extended hand” of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Kosovo.
Kurteshi stated that “90 percent of the individuals on the Serb List candidate lists are members of parallel Serbian institutions in Kosovo.”
He also opposed Sasha Milloshević’s candidacy for mayor of Novobërdë, noting that he had been appointed by the Serbian Government as head of the Gjilan municipality, a parallel Serbian administrative structure.
Milloshević had been appointed mayor of Gjilan by the Serbian Government on February 27, 2020, as “President of the Provisional Municipal Authority of Gjilan.”
On August 7, the Serbian Government issued over 20 personnel decisions concerning appointments and dismissals of officials in institutions, including several who had led provisional municipal authorities in Kosovo.
These claims were rejected by the Serb List and the Serbian authorities.
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Gjurić called the decision “a blatant example of political engineering aimed at excluding the Serbian people from democratic life.”
Vetëvendosje also opposed certification of the Serb List during the February parliamentary elections, and the election commission initially did not certify the party at that time either.
However, after appeals to higher instances, the Serb List was certified and participated in the elections, winning nine seats in the Assembly.
The Serb List decided to compete in this year’s local elections after boycotting the previous local elections, which allowed Albanian mayors to take and hold power in four Serbian-majority northern municipalities from May 2023.
If certified, the Serb List is expected to regain control of all four northern municipalities: North Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan, and Zubin Potok.
