Kosovo Serbs to form electoral list

The Serbian government still has not made a decision on whether Serbs should participate in Kosovo elections. Kosovo Serbs, however, will try to form a common Serbian electoral list. Kosovo Serbs to form electoral list The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) is so far the only party which will independently take part in the elections. Politically active members of the Serbian community are making an effort to form a common Serbian list which would take part in parliamentary elections with 110 candidates. European Movement NGO Director Radmila Trajkovic told B92 that political representatives of Kosovo Serbs were planning on submitting the list to the Election Commission on Friday. “There are people here who are non-party persons, large number of young people is there, intellectuals. It’s a unique movement of prominent and responsible people which should promote unity of the Serbs and support to Serbs’ unity in Kosovo and Metohija,” she explained. When asked what would happen if the Serbian government in the meantime decided to advise the Serbs not to take part in the elections, Trajkovic said that Serbia’s policy in the past 20 years had aimed at eradicating Serbs from the former Yugoslavia and that she expected the current government to change that. “I expect the government to change continuity of the policy which brings denial of support to the Serbs who want to function in such way to make agreements with their neighbors and who want to work on stabilization of the Serbian community,” she stressed. “We expect the government to start thinking that Serbs in Kosovo are strong factor in the political scene. We have strong motives, Albanian political scene is very unpredictable. It is not expected that the same lineup will be either in the government or in the assembly, change of the agenda is possible, change of a permanent agreement on special status that northern Kosovo has is also possible. The international community has expectations that more responsible Serbs will come to the Kosovo assembly and I think that the Serbian government should function in that sense too,” the director of the European Movement added. When asked to comment on allegations from Serbia that participation in the Kosovo elections would give legitimacy to Kosovo institutions and declared independence, she said that all the Serbs who had stayed in Kosovo had accepted reality and that their goal was to have stronger influence on laws which had effect on their lives.

Kosovo Serbs to form electoral list

The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) is so far the only party which will independently take part in the elections.

Politically active members of the Serbian community are making an effort to form a common Serbian list which would take part in parliamentary elections with 110 candidates.

European Movement NGO Director Radmila Trajković told B92 that political representatives of Kosovo Serbs were planning on submitting the list to the Election Commission on Friday.

“There are people here who are non-party persons, large number of young people is there, intellectuals. It’s a unique movement of prominent and responsible people which should promote unity of the Serbs and support to Serbs’ unity in Kosovo and Metohija,” she explained.

When asked what would happen if the Serbian government in the meantime decided to advise the Serbs not to take part in the elections, Trajković said that Serbia’s policy in the past 20 years had aimed at eradicating Serbs from the former Yugoslavia and that she expected the current government to change that.

“I expect the government to change continuity of the policy which brings denial of support to the Serbs who want to function in such way to make agreements with their neighbors and who want to work on stabilization of the Serbian community,” she stressed.

“We expect the government to start thinking that Serbs in Kosovo are strong factor in the political scene. We have strong motives, Albanian political scene is very unpredictable. It is not expected that the same lineup will be either in the government or in the assembly, change of the agenda is possible, change of a permanent agreement on special status that northern Kosovo has is also possible. The international community has expectations that more responsible Serbs will come to the Kosovo assembly and I think that the Serbian government should function in that sense too,” the director of the European Movement added.

When asked to comment on allegations from Serbia that participation in the Kosovo elections would give legitimacy to Kosovo institutions and declared independence, she said that all the Serbs who had stayed in Kosovo had accepted reality and that their goal was to have stronger influence on laws which had effect on their lives.