The Electoral Appeals and Petitions Panel (ELPA) fined the Democratic Alliance Kosova (LDK) with 20.000 euros, and the Self-Determination Movement (LVV) with 3000 euros for violating the "Code of Conduct" during election campaigns, Kosovo media write.
At the time of writing, this is one of the latest news regarding the campaign for the parliamentary elections in Kosovo, which will be held on February 9.
There are 28 political entities in the race, that is, parties, coalitions, civil initiatives and an independent candidate.
Constant complaints to the IPŽP of various political entities, the campaign of the Self-Determination Movement with a special focus on the north, visits to families and health centers of the Serbian List, the re-arrest of the leader of the Serbian Democracy Aleksandar Arsenijević, and finally, the closure of Serbian institutions south of the Ibar are the pre-election campaigns in Kosovo.
How was the first week?
Director of the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER) and coordinator of the Working Group of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35, Dragiša Mijačić, told "Vreme" that at pre-election rallies the Self-Determination Movement presents the situation in the North as its victory, making baseless and malicious claims that the Serbs " happy" because of the actions of the Kosovo police authorities.
"In order to strengthen that narrative, Aljbin Kurti visited Leposavic where he opened a branch office of a Kosovo bank, and in North Mitrovica he visited several shops owned by Kosovo Albanians," says Mijačić.
The Serbian List, he adds, mainly focuses its campaign on media conferences, announcements or through visits to the remaining Serbian institutions (primarily in the field of health), the number of which is drastically decreasing these days.
"Also, the first surveys have been published that show that the Self-Determination Movement has significantly more support than other political entities in Kosovo," says Mijačić.
Aleksandar Arsenijević and Serbian democracy continue to carry out their activism during the campaign.
"The Serbian People's Movement organizes rallies where guests from Belgrade and other cities in Serbia speak. Nenad Rašić with his 'Freedom, Justice, Survival' initiative mostly visits the Kosovo institutions in the north that have been taken over by the Albanians, and where many of his followers are employed."
Our interlocutor states that other political entities from the ranks of the Serbian community (Party of Kosovo Serbs and Civic Initiative Narodna Pravda) did not organize public events, but had activities within their electorate.
Closing of the remaining Serbian institutions
On Wednesday morning (January 15), the Kosovo police occupied the facilities of Serbian government institutions south of the Ibar. At that time, the Kosovo Minister of the Interior, Dzheljalj Svečlja, said that "the chapter of parallel, illegal, criminal institutions of Serbia is closing."
After that, the Pristina Prosecutor's Office announced that it did not approve the search in Serbian institutions.
"The moment when Serbian institutions and institutions in central Kosovo were closed is indicative, a day after the Self-Determination Movement rally in Mitrovica where Aljbin Kurti and Đeljaj Svečlja boasted about closing such institutions. One of the main messages of this movement is that they 'kicked' Serbia out of Kosovo, so the motives of such actions are obvious," explains Mijačić.
How Kosovo Serbs see the campaign
In November 2022, Srpska lista left the Kosovo institutions. After that, says Mijačić, circumstances changed which resulted in the appearance of more political subjects in the Serbian community.
On the other hand, he states, after everything that happened in the previous two years, it will not be easy to motivate citizens to go to the polls because they have become passive and demoralized because they do not believe that new elections can bring positive changes and resolve the situation in which found.
"In these elections, two political entities are participating from positions of power, whether they are supported by Belgrade (Srpska Lista) or the Government of Kosovo (Nenad Rašić, citizen initiative Freedom, Justice, Survival). The rest are trying to gain the trust of voters through their activism, with very limited resources," explains the "Vremena" interlocutor.
"It will be very difficult to mobilize people and motivate them to go to the upcoming parliamentary elections," Mijačić points out.
On the other hand, he emphasizes that it is certain that participation in the elections will be conditioned by the receipt of personal income, either from the Budget of Serbia or the Budget of Kosovo.
"A lot of people have moved out of the north of Kosovo, so that will also affect the election results."
