Extraordinary meetings were held on Sunday (December 28). parliamentary elections in KosovoThese are third elections this year, and the second parliamentary member, Aljbin Kurti, failed to form the Government. Regular local elections were held on February 9 this year.
Serbian flags were not waved in the center of North Mitrovica, as usual after the elections, nor were songs like "Eagle's Nest" heard. There was no traditional celebration in the streets of the city, although at an extraordinary media conference, Serbian List announced that according to preliminary data, they had won all 10 mandates.
However, the president of the Serbian List, Dr. Zlatan Elek, repeatedly emphasized that these are preliminary results, and that they have information that "Kurti helped Rašić win votes again", and that therefore they cannot claim what the result will be until the Central Election Commission of Kosovo (CEC) announces.
In the previous elections, the distribution of mandates was such that the Serbian List won nine out of 10 parliamentary seats reserved for the Serbian community in the Kosovo Assembly out of a total of 120 seats. Nenad Rašić's party For Freedom, Justice and Survival won one mandate.
According to preliminary data from the CEC, the turnout was 44,99 percent.
Based on 99,26 percent of processed votes, Srpska lista won 41.335 votes, while the party for freedom, justice and survival won 4.601 votes.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated in the Hit Tweet show on TV Pink that "the victory is such that in the Serbian communities in Kosovo, the Serbian List has undoubtedly won all 10 mandates."
Elections in Kosovo: Serbs still look towards Belgrade
Kurti celebrates 'historic win'
The president of the Self-Determination Movement, Aljbin Kurti, announced the victory of his party, saying that it is on its way to becoming "the biggest ever in the history of Kosovo", and that as soon as the results are verified, they will form institutions and continue with "good work".
The CEC's preliminary results show that Self-Determination won 49,30 percent. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) 21,01 percent, the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo (LDK) 13,59 percent, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 5,68 percent.
"Koha" writes that Self-Determination with its partners won almost 50 percent of the parliamentary seats, and that only cooperation with the parties of minority communities is enough for them to form the Government.
Why do Serbs not vote for Albanian parties?
In North Mitrovica, the turnout was 42,48 percent, in Zvečan 35,03 percent, which is significantly less than in February when 52,94 percent voted. In Zubin Potok, 56,45 percent voted, slightly more than one percent of citizens than in February, and in Lepsoavic, 56,35 percent.
During the previous days, it seemed that the Serbs were mostly not interested in these elections. However, based on CEC data, it would be said that this is not so.
One citizen from the north of Kosovo who did not come out to vote for "Vreme" says that, although he did not vote for Serbian parties, he would never vote for any Albanian party if it was "crazy" to discuss it.
"Although the Serbs are formally part of the Kosovo system, they have never and will never be able to fully accept it," he says, adding that from 2013 until today, they were "forcefully pushed into the Kosovo system" and were not asked for anything.
"No matter how big the differences are in the political programs of the Albanian parties, one thread unites them all - to put it mildly, it is the reluctance to accept the Serbian community as an equal and important part of Kosovo society. This is exactly the answer to why Serbs do not vote for Albanian parties if they cannot find a suitable representative from the Serbian community," our interlocutor points out.
Another woman from Mitrovica who did not go to the polls tells us that voting for Albanian parties is out of the question because they do not care about citizens of Serbian nationality.
"Everything they say concerns only the Albanian community. The specifics of the situation in which the Serbian community finds itself, as well as their needs, are not taken into account in any case. That's why there is no possibility for me to vote for them," says our interlocutor.
Around eleven o'clock in the evening, after the Serbian List media conference, the streets of Severna Mitrovica remained empty. On the other side of the Ibra, neighbors sang along to music at the New Year's fair, which was set up on the promenade in South Mitrovica. Apparently, it has nothing to do with the celebration of Aljbin Kurti's victory, an Albanian explained.
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