At a time when every vote of an MP is crucial, the nine votes of the Serbian List in Kosovo are not being taken into account by anyone. The MPs elected in the parliamentary elections of February 9 failed to constitute the Assembly of Kosovo even in the eighth attempt, on April 29, due to a lack of votes.
While in previous years the Serbian List was a regular part of governing coalitions, this time no one is approaching it, and no one expects cooperation with it – neither the Vetëvendosje Movement of incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti, nor the parties that were until recently in opposition.
The armed attack and murder of a Kosovo police officer in Banjska in September 2023 is responsible for this situation, Miodrag Milićević from the non-governmental organization Aktiv, based in North Mitrovica, tells Radio Free Europe. He adds that, after this attack in northern Kosovo, carried out by a group of Serbs and for which the former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Milan Radoićić, claimed responsibility, the list has lost its “coalition potential.”
"This presents an additional problem for the Serb community when it comes to representing their interests, which usually happens through the Serb List," emphasizes Milićević.
The Serbian List has not publicly reacted to the attack in Banjska, and has not distanced itself from Radoićić, whom it had previously openly supported. He is currently on the run, and is believed to be in Serbia. In Kosovo, he has been indicted in the Banjska case, and an arrest warrant has also been issued for suspected war crimes against the civilian population.
On the other hand, Belgrade-based political scientist Ognjen Gogić says that both Albanian parties and the Serbian List agree that cooperation between them is not possible. He adds that the Serbian List does not even see itself as representing Serbs in Kosovo's institutions.
However, he emphasizes that the interests of the Serbian community cannot be protected if they do not participate in institutions, as the Kosovo Government makes decisions that directly affect them.
"Even if it remains outside the Government, the Serbian List can participate in the work of the Assembly and have an influence on the legislative process. Possibly, even stop the adoption of some laws," he says, recalling that the votes of Serbian MPs are essential for amending the Constitution or for the adoption of important laws.
However, according to him, a change in its image could constitute a solution for cooperation.
The Serbian List, the only Serb party in Kosovo with support from official Belgrade, has not communicated with the media in Pristina for months now, and did not even respond to Radio Free Europe's questions about how it will protect the interests of its community if it is excluded from leading institutions.
This party has boycotted Kosovo institutions for more than two years, after it itself initiated the removal of Serbs from institutions in November 2022, in reaction to the Kosovo Government's decision to remove Serbian license plates.
However, the Serbian List participated in the parliamentary elections on February 9, but for the first time since its establishment, it lost one of the 10 mandates reserved for Serbs. This mandate went to Nenad Rašić, leader of the party “For Freedom, Justice and Survival”, and a former partner in Albin Kurti’s governing coalition.
What do Albanian parties say about cooperation with the Serbian List?
The winning party of the elections, the Vetevendosje Movement, has been unable to secure the 61 votes needed to elect the Speaker of the Assembly since mid-April, as other Albanian parties – the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the coalition between the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the Social Democratic Initiative – are not supporting its candidate for Speaker of the Parliament, Albulena Haxhiu.
Despite this, Vetëvendosje categorically rejects any cooperation with the Serbian List.
"Our position on this issue is clear, known, and has not changed," Përparim Kryeziu, acting government spokesman, told Radio Free Europe.
After the elections, Vetëvendosje announced that it would form the new government with the help of votes from non-Serb communities, thus excluding the Serbian List. This party had also tried to prevent the Serbian List from participating in the elections, on the grounds that it does not recognize Kosovo as a state and has not distanced itself from “the terrorist acts that have occurred in Kosovo,” alluding to the Banjska attack.
The vice-chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, also its MP, Lutfi Haziri, tells Radio Free Europe that this party respects the will of the citizens, who have chosen the Serbian List to represent them. However, according to him, the LDK currently has no communication with the Serbian List.
He says that the LDK adheres to the principles of not cooperating with elements that contradict the law.
"We have never cooperated with elements that have problems with organized crime, corruption, terrorism and other legal problems. So all the parameters are set. For the political part, we have no problem. But, everything that does not touch these principles, which I mentioned earlier, cooperation is welcome, but not with such elements, in any way," Haziri emphasizes.
The former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Radoićić, in Kosovo is also linked to organized crime, corruption, the murder of Serbian politician Oliver Ivanović, and the attack in Banjska, Zvečan, which Kosovo authorities consider a terrorist act.
This week, another arrest warrant was issued for him, on suspicion of war crimes against the civilian population. He is on the blacklist of the United States of America and the United Kingdom for international organized crime.
AAK MP, Time Kadrijaj, tells Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that this party does not have any leading role in the process of forming the new government.
As she says, AAK does not have a mandate to form the new executive, and consequently, it has no reason to have any cooperation with the Serb List and its MPs.
"We are the smallest Albanian party [in the Assembly] and we do not have the turn to form the government. Those who form the government should probably communicate [with the Serbian List]. In what form should we cooperate, when we do not have the mandate to form the government?", says Kadrijaj.
Gogić: Serbian List should "rebrand and distance itself from the past"
Political scientist Gogić says that it is still not clear to the public who is refusing cooperation – the Serbian List, the Albanian parties or both. In any case, according to him, the lack of trust between the political representatives of Serbs and Albanians cannot be resolved soon.
"We have a clear position from Albanian parties that they will not seek cooperation with the Serbian List, even if they cannot form a government. This applies to Vetëvendosje and the opposition. They say that they would rather go into opposition or hold new elections than govern with the votes of the Serbian List," he emphasizes.
He adds that, as long as the Albanian public's perception of the Serbian List does not change, cooperation will not be possible.
The solution, according to him, would be for Albanian parties to change their rhetoric towards the Serbian List, or for the Serbian List itself to "rebrand, take clear steps to distance itself from the past, which is problematic for Albanians."
"Serbian list with the lowest trust in the last decade"
Even Milićević, from the Aktiv organization, says that it is still not clear whether the Serbian List wants to participate in Kosovo's political life and be the voice of the people who have trusted it with their votes.
"This is the main question for the representatives of the Serbian List, because our interpretation of their engagement in the Assembly so far, especially over the last year and a half, cannot even be considered satisfactory. This is also evidenced by the Trend Analysis, a survey we conducted among the Serbian community throughout Kosovo. Trust in Serbian representatives in the Assembly is at its lowest level in the last ten years. This is the essential reality," says Milićević.
The Aktiv organization has been following and analyzing the positions of the Serbian community north and south of the Ibar River for years, and publishes them every year in a special report.
The 2024 report was presented on April 30 in Pristina. Among other things, it is said that there is no specific politician in whom the Serb community has confidence – the majority refuses to answer the question of who they trust.
According to this Aktiv research, only 2.8 percent of respondents have trust in the Serbian List.
Milićević, however, emphasizes that there is currently no alternative to the Serbian List in terms of political representation of Serbs, considering that this party convincingly won the most votes in the elections – around 38 thousand or 4.26 percent.
"If this question refers to the broader context, the situation changes significantly. There you have other political parties that will participate in the upcoming local elections throughout Kosovo, but also civil society and the media play an important role in representing the interests of the Serbian community," he says.
Milićević and Gogić conclude that it remains to be seen how the Serbian List will act if the Kosovo Assembly manages to be constituted./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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