Prepared: Fitim Gashi
The February 9 elections could mark a turning point for the Serbian community in Kosovo. Even before the official start of the electoral campaign, the main narratives being proclaimed signal a competition increasingly transforming into an identity battle, highlighting clashes over the future of the Serbian community in Kosovo.
Narratives labeling political opponents as "traitors" or "collaborators" with Kosovo institutions risk fostering polarization and division within the community.
The Serbian List, which decided to re-enter the electoral race following its institutional boycott in recent years, continues to articulate a narrative portraying itself as the sole political force ensuring the survival of the Serbian community. Through this rhetoric, it seeks to mobilize voters by creating a constant sense of threat from Kosovo institutions and linking the survival of Serbs to support for the party backed by official Belgrade. On the other hand, opposition parties like Serbian Democracy and other politicians challenging the Serbian List depict it as a corrupt political force disconnected from the real interests and issues of the Serbian community. These parties accuse the Serbian List of political manipulation, citizen intimidation, and close ties to Belgrade. They argue that this centralized control has led to isolation and lack of representation for Serbs, pointing out that municipalities in the north are governed by Albanian mayors who do not represent the majority.
The Vice President of the Serbian List, Igor Simic, in an interview with "Prva TV," parts of which were also shared by local media in the north, stated that it is crucial for the Serbian List to win all 10 seats guaranteed for the Serbian community in the Kosovo Assembly. According to him, “otherwise, the strength of Serbs in the parliament will be dismantled, and there will be a final ethnic cleansing of Serbs.” He further alleged that there are Serbs in Prishtina working against the interests of the Serbian people.
“If we were to lose those 10 mandates, we would diminish the power of the Serbian people in the parliament and enable the future holders of power in Prishtina to choose Serbs who suit them, as they did a few years ago,” Simic said.
He went even further, claiming that if they do not secure the 10 seats in the Assembly, “Kosovo will be enabled to unite with Albania, medieval Serbian monasteries will be seized, protected zones will be altered, and the Serbian language and other rights will be abolished.”
Simic provides no clear evidence for these alleged changes, which seem more like an attempt to manipulate the electorate through fear and uncertainty about their future in Kosovo.
These statements drew criticism from the leader of the "Serbian Democracy" party, Aleksandar Arsenijevic, who described them as fearmongering and coercive.
“It’s not enough that Kurti and Albanian extremists are threatening us with ethnic cleansing, and now Igor Simic has started threatening us with the same,” said Arsenijevic, who in recent months was arrested multiple times by the Kosovo Police for whistling at government officials visiting the north and protesting against the closure of illegal Serbian offices.
Arsenijevic reposted a video from a few months ago in which his party official, Stefan Veljkovic, clashed with Igor Simic. In the video, Veljkovic is seen asking for an explanation as to why Serbs in the north were left without representation, to which Simic responds by pushing him and calling him a “drug addict.”
Arsenijevic mentioned the plans that the Serbian List allegedly has for the community in the north if they lose the elections.
“And another question for Igor Simic: are you threatening people by saying that the Serbian government has prepared collective centers throughout central Serbia if you don’t win all the mandates? Is it possible that Belgrade is truly planning to punish its own people, as you claim? Do you want another term to remain even quieter while Prishtina squeezes us into a ghetto? Stop threatening and scaring people, you shameful man,” wrote Arsenijevic.
This confrontation also involved other figures, such as Nebojsa Milic of the Justice Party, who stated that Serbs are no longer afraid of the Serbian List's threats.
“People have woken up; they are no longer afraid of your threats… You stole everything you could, and you even sold that! Go to Belgrade, where each of you has an apartment in the name of your wife, aunt, or children. Let the people fight for a dignified life without you and your racketeering,” Milic wrote.
Currently, the Serbian representative in the Government of Kosovo is Nenad Rasic, the Minister for Communities and Returns, who has consistently clashed with the Serbian List. However, he was recently accused by former party members of using methods similar to those of the Serbian List. These allegations were raised by the former Deputy Minister for Communities and Returns, Radoica Radomirovic. In addition to resigning from his government position, Radomirovic has also left the Freedom, Justice, and Survival Initiative, led by Nenad Rasic. He has announced plans to release videos “that reveal intimidation, blackmail, and irregularities in the Municipality of Leposavic, specifically concerning the Chairperson of the Municipal Assembly, Gorski Buric.”
“The Municipality of Leposavić has dismissed 17 workers who have not been paid their salaries; based on the recordings, you will see that they lost their jobs solely because they are accused of being my close associates,” he wrote on Facebook.
Another dimension of the narratives revolves around efforts to gain the support of the international community by demonstrating which political group best represents the interests of Serbs.
The mutual accusations signal a polarized and divided electoral environment.
If these narratives continue to intensify, the rhetoric could escalate further, heightening interethnic tensions and deepening polarization within the Serbian community in the north, a region already marked by uncertainty and political tension.
As tensions continue to rise, the outcome of the February 9, 2025, elections will have implications not only for the political representation of Serbs but also for the overall stability in the north. This situation demands increased engagement and attention from Kosovo institutions to prevent any incidents, as well as from the international community to ensure that the electoral process is democratic and free.
In the past, the electoral atmosphere in the north has been characterized by a tense and often intimidating climate for candidates who dared to challenge the Serbian List. International reports have noted that elections were accompanied by pressure on opponents of the Serbian List, with citizens being frightened away from supporting other parties due to the Serbian List’s deep ties to authorities in Belgrade. In previous elections, the Serbian List secured all the seats reserved for the Serbian community in the Kosovo Assembly. This gave it significant control over the representation of Serbs in central institutions, even though during the last legislature, they attended plenary sessions only when mandate reconfirmations were required.
One of the main reasons for its dominance has been the strong political and financial support from Serbia, as well as its control over the majority of Serbian structures in the north, which are considered illegal by Kosovo. Therefore, the outcome of the upcoming elections will serve as a test of Belgrade's influence on local politics and the ability of rival parties to challenge a consolidated structure like the Serbian List.
The upcoming elections are also an opportunity to assess the impact of the Kosovo Government's decisions to close institutions funded by Serbia. Both the national elections at the beginning of the year and the local elections planned for the end of next year will indicate whether these structures have retained their power and whether the measures taken have effectively curbed their influence.
