The Serbian government has once again shown blatant disregard for Kosovo’s sovereignty by appointing Sreqko Spasić as the head of the parallel Serbian municipal authority in Viti, just days after he withdrew from the Kllokot mayoral race to support the Serbian List candidate.
Spasić assumes control of the Provisional Municipal Body of Viti, a structure that Kosovo authorities officially dissolved earlier this year, highlighting Belgrade’s continued defiance and its attempts to maintain illegal institutions on Kosovo territory. The Kosovo government considers all such parallel structures and Serbian-run institutions on its soil as illegal, yet Serbia continues to operate them, often relocating staff and functions to its own territory.
The appointment of Spasić was published in the Official Gazette of Serbia on November 9, but the decision was made on November 6, just three days after he stepped aside and urged his supporters to vote for Bozhidar Dejanović, the Serbian List candidate. This move is yet another example of Belgrade manipulating local politics to impose its control over Kosovo municipalities.
Spasić’s history raises serious concerns. He previously served as mayor of Kllokot under the Serbian List but left the party in 2017 after it distanced itself from his son’s candidacy, supporting the rival Bozhidar Dejanović from Nisma Qytetare Kllokot–Vërbovc. Both Spasić and Dejanović have past legal entanglements:
- Dejanović was sentenced in 2022 to a one-year suspended sentence for influencing the free will of voters, securing illegal votes for the Serbian List.
- Another suspect, Sasha Mirković, as deputy mayor, similarly manipulated votes for the political entity “Bashkësia e Bashkuar – Ardijana Hoxhiq.”
- Hoxhiq’s parliamentary mandate for the Bosniak community in 2021 was annulled due to evidence that votes were illegally influenced by the Serbian List, which had co-opted minority communities under its control.
- Sreqko Spasić himself was previously convicted for abuse of official duty, a fact that underscores the blatant lack of accountability in Serbia’s appointments.
Despite this history of corruption and voter manipulation, Belgrade continues to reward Spasić with power, reinforcing illegal parallel structures in Kosovo and undermining the rule of law. This appointment is a stark reminder of Serbia’s ongoing interference in Kosovo’s democratic processes and its determination to maintain control over communities through loyalist figures with checkered pasts.
Kosovo’s institutions and international observers must remain vigilant as Serbia continues to assert authority where it has no legal jurisdiction, endangering democratic integrity and stability in the region.
