Parties divided ahead of Kosovo vote

A little over a month before the early elections in Kosovo parties from central Serbia are habitually divided over whether they should take part. The elections for the assembly in Pristina have been called for December 12, and are organized by the Kosovo Albanian authorities. Parties divided ahead of Kosovo vote The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) is the first party from central Serbia that has announced their candidates would run in the election. Deputy PM and ruling SPS party leader Ivica Dacic says that the subject has not been discussed yet, and says that if the government decides that there are no conditions for the government to call on Serbs in Kosovo to take part, his party would adhere to that stance. Officials of the opposition SNS said that they would decide on the issue next week, while New Serbia (NS) has already decided. "The position of NS is not to take part in these elections, and that is the position of most opposition, and as far as I know, ruling parties," party official Dubravka Filipovski said. The Liberal-Democrats (LDP), however, say that all those who refuse to take part in the Kosovo elections are conducting "past projects" and are ready to sacrifice the interests of the people who live in Kosovo - in their party interests. "We still stand behind the official policy which has remained unchanged since the founding of LDP that internal relations in Kosovo can be secured, the stability of those relations, only with mutual consensus of Serb and Albanian sides, since the basic precondition for this is participation of Serbs in elections and pariticipation in all the possibilities that are given to them by the temporary institutions in Kosovo," LDP's Ivan Andric said. Djordje Vukovic of CeSID says that Serbs in Kosovo should have political representatives in institutions for the sake of living better, as this was the reality in the field, and would enable them to influence their destiny to a higher degree.

Parties divided ahead of Kosovo vote

The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) is the first party from central Serbia that has announced their candidates would run in the election.

Deputy PM and ruling SPS party leader Ivica Dačić says that the subject has not been discussed yet, and says that if the government decides that there are no conditions for the government to call on Serbs in Kosovo to take part, his party would adhere to that stance.

Officials of the opposition SNS said that they would decide on the issue next week, while New Serbia (NS) has already decided.

"The position of NS is not to take part in these elections, and that is the position of most opposition, and as far as I know, ruling parties," party official Dubravka Filipovski said.

The Liberal-Democrats (LDP), however, say that all those who refuse to take part in the Kosovo elections are conducting "past projects" and are ready to sacrifice the interests of the people who live in Kosovo - in their party interests.

"We still stand behind the official policy which has remained unchanged since the founding of LDP that internal relations in Kosovo can be secured, the stability of those relations, only with mutual consensus of Serb and Albanian sides, since the basic precondition for this is participation of Serbs in elections and pariticipation in all the possibilities that are given to them by the temporary institutions in Kosovo," LDP's Ivan Andrić said.

Đorđe Vuković of CeSID says that Serbs in Kosovo should have political representatives in institutions for the sake of living better, as this was the reality in the field, and would enable them to influence their destiny to a higher degree.