Serbian List appeals election ban in Kosovo amid rising tensions

Dec 24, 2024 - The Serbian List, the largest political party representing ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, has filed an appeal after the Central Election Commission (CEC) rejected its certification for the February 9 parliamentary elections.

The decision, made on Monday, has sparked immediate backlash from the party. Zllatan Ellek, leader of the Serbian List, called the ruling undemocratic and damaging to the Serb community in Kosovo.

“This decision is absurd, anti-Serb, and undemocratic,” Ellek said. “We expect the Electoral Panel for Complaints and Appeals to overturn it.”

The move by the CEC came after two members, both from Prime Minister Albin Kurti's Self-Determination Movement, voted against certifying the Serbian List. The commission cited the party's refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent state, as well as its regular use of the term “Kosovo and Metohija” and the slogan “Long live Serbia.”

Kurti’s government has faced ongoing criticism over its handling of Serb-majority areas in Kosovo, with some accusing it of trying to weaken the Serbian List’s influence.

Despite a recommendation from Kosovo’s political entity registration office to approve the Serbian List, the CEC stood by its decision. Kurteshi, a CEC member, also raised concerns over the Serbian List’s links to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and its ties to Milan Radoičić, a party member who resigned after being linked to an armed attack in Banjska. Kosovo has labelled the attack a terrorist act.

The international community has voiced concerns over the fairness of the electoral process, with the U.S. Embassy in Pristina urging the Serbian List to appeal the decision. The embassy emphasized that voters, not political bodies, should decide their representatives.