The Democratic Party of Kosovo and experts of election processes support the position of the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, to not allow the holding of Serbian elections on December 17 in Kosovo.

According to the opposition party, the September 24 terrorist attack in Banjska, Zveçan, has proven Serbia’s intentions in Kosovo, so the request for allowing elections to be held in the territory of Kosovo should not even be discussed. On the contrary, experts consider that Serbia should have an interstate agreement with Kosovo to organize elections in our country, always within the framework of the Constitution and laws in force.

The PDK MP, Hajdar Beqa, tells KosovaPress that the Serbian elections should not be allowed to be held in Kosovo.

On the other hand, the former chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Mazllum Baraliu, tells KosovaPress that the position of Kosovo’s institutions in this case is principled.

He adds that the OSCE cannot collect votes in the north, and in fact the elections are held there outside the rules of the CEC and the electoral laws in force.

“No, it should not be allowed (to hold Serbian elections in Kosovo). I consider that the position of our institutions is both principled and consistent in what should be done in the spirit of the Constitution and other laws in force. If Serbia wants to hold elections, it cannot, as it has happened until now. Not even the OSCE can do the collection (of votes), in fact the elections are held there outside the CEC rules and the election laws in force. Serbia must understand that now, at least in certain segments when it has interests, as is the case now that they need the votes of Serbian citizens in Kosovo, to respect the government’s request. It is nothing more or less than the principles and rules of international law that require respect for the sovereignty of a state”, he said.

On November 3, Serbia sent a request to the OSCE, that this mission be included in the collection of votes of Kosovo Serbs, who have dual citizenship, for the elections in Serbia which will be held on December 17.

Regarding this request, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the head of the OSCE in Kosovo, Michael Davenport met this week. As stated in the government communique, Kurti has made it clear that for such a request, Kosovo and Serbia must reach an inter-state agreement and that the request must come from Serbia as an interested party.