No common position on Kosovo elections

Parliamentary parties in Serbia do not have a common position on whether Serbs should take part in elections organized by Kosovo Albanian authorities. Belgrade still has not decided whether to call upon the Serbs to participate in Kosovo elections. Serbia's authorities say that there are "many pros and cons" to the decision. No common position on Kosovo elections Ruling Democratic Party (DS) MP Jelena Trivan has assessed that the issue is difficult and complex, that it is not one for parties, but for the state and that DS will not make any announcements about it. Her statement came on Tuesday after a senior member of the party spoke over the weekend in favor of Serbs taking part in the elections. She said that the issue had always been solved through a common position of the state for the sake of the Serb community’s unity, that any partisan approach should now be avoided and that "we should wait for the top state officials to come up with a common position so that Serbs from Kosovo could act together". Head of the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)-United Serbia (JS) parliamentary group Branko Ruzic also believes that the issue of the Serb participation in Kosovo elections is not a party issue but one for the state, and that Socialists expect that the government will discuss it and come up with a clear position. Ruzic's statement also came in the wake of one from his party colleague who was in favor of the Serb participation. “The state of Serbia needs to make it clear to the Serbs what they should do when the day comes,” he pointed out. Ruzic also repeated that the last time the elections were organized by Kosovo's institutions President Boris Tadic said that conditions had not been met for the Serbs to participate, and that it should be evaluated whether something had changed in that sense. Although the government would like the entire political public to stand behind a decision, this will be hard to achieve as some opposition parties have a clear position on the issue. Serb Progressive Party (SNS) leader Tomislav Nikolic says that his party does not advise the citizens in Kosovo to vote in the early parliamentary elections but that SNS "would not judge them if they did". “That’s our advice for them but if they don’t take it we don’t have the right to be angry because we don’t live there,” he said and added that it was up to the citizens living in the province to decide whether they would take part in the elections. Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) MP Milos Aligrudic says that his party also thinks that Serbs in Kosovo should not participate in the elections of “the fake state of Kosovo” because it would be a confirmation of the existence of such a state on Serbia’s territory. “If they do this they will do something to their own detriment,” he said, and added that there was always an alternative way to help Serbs, to keep them from being completely isolated, and that Serbia "needed to do something even though it had not done anything for the past two years". Aleksandar Martinovic of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) also thinks that Serbs should not take part in the elections organized by the institutions from Pristina because it would imply a recognition of the nonexistent state of Kosovo. However, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is so far the only party which advises Serbs to exercise their right and take part in the elections. LDP leader Cedomir Jovanovic stressed that Serbs needed a place in the Kosovo institutions so they could excercise the rights which belonged to them in accordance with the Kosovo constitution. “Everything else is utopia and meaningless sacrifice of the Serb people,” he said and added that a smart policy was the one conducted by the Serbs who took their place in Kosovo's institutions. Ahead of the previous voting in Kosovo, the Serbian government called upon the citizens to boycott the elections but two Serb parties took part in the process.

No common position on Kosovo elections

Ruling Democratic Party (DS) MP Jelena Trivan has assessed that the issue is difficult and complex, that it is not one for parties, but for the state and that DS will not make any announcements about it. Her statement came on Tuesday after a senior member of the party spoke over the weekend in favor of Serbs taking part in the elections.

She said that the issue had always been solved through a common position of the state for the sake of the Serb community’s unity, that any partisan approach should now be avoided and that "we should wait for the top state officials to come up with a common position so that Serbs from Kosovo could act together".

Head of the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)-United Serbia (JS) parliamentary group Branko Ružić also believes that the issue of the Serb participation in Kosovo elections is not a party issue but one for the state, and that Socialists expect that the government will discuss it and come up with a clear position.

Ružić's statement also came in the wake of one from his party colleague who was in favor of the Serb participation.

“The state of Serbia needs to make it clear to the Serbs what they should do when the day comes,” he pointed out.

Ružić also repeated that the last time the elections were organized by Kosovo's institutions President Boris Tadić said that conditions had not been met for the Serbs to participate, and that it should be evaluated whether something had changed in that sense.

Although the government would like the entire political public to stand behind a decision, this will be hard to achieve as some opposition parties have a clear position on the issue.

Serb Progressive Party (SNS) leader Tomislav Nikolić says that his party does not advise the citizens in Kosovo to vote in the early parliamentary elections but that SNS "would not judge them if they did".

“That’s our advice for them but if they don’t take it we don’t have the right to be angry because we don’t live there,” he said and added that it was up to the citizens living in the province to decide whether they would take part in the elections.

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) MP Miloš Aligrudić says that his party also thinks that Serbs in Kosovo should not participate in the elections of “the fake state of Kosovo” because it would be a confirmation of the existence of such a state on Serbia’s territory.

“If they do this they will do something to their own detriment,” he said, and added that there was always an alternative way to help Serbs, to keep them from being completely isolated, and that Serbia "needed to do something even though it had not done anything for the past two years".

Aleksandar Martinović of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) also thinks that Serbs should not take part in the elections organized by the institutions from Priština because it would imply a recognition of the nonexistent state of Kosovo.

However, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is so far the only party which advises Serbs to exercise their right and take part in the elections. LDP leader Čedomir Jovanović stressed that Serbs needed a place in the Kosovo institutions so they could excercise the rights which belonged to them in accordance with the Kosovo constitution.

“Everything else is utopia and meaningless sacrifice of the Serb people,” he said and added that a smart policy was the one conducted by the Serbs who took their place in Kosovo's institutions.

Ahead of the previous voting in Kosovo, the Serbian government called upon the citizens to boycott the elections but two Serb parties took part in the process.