Analyst: New Kosovo elections to calm the situation, send Kurti into opposition

NEWS 02.06.202313:38
Tanjug/AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic

Political analyst Dusan Janjic said that early election in Kosovo would ease tensions in the north and send Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti into the opposition.

Janjic said the Belgrade-backed Serb List will see serious opposition from the Serb community in the next Kosovo election.

“(Serbian President) Aleksandar Vucic and the Serb List will have a hard time explaining to the people why they ordered the Serbs seven months ago to withdraw from Kosovo’s institutions. It has proved that this decision only caused enormous damage to the Serbs in northern Kosovo,” said Janjic.

He said calling early election in Kosovo would help reduce political and security tensions.

“For now the international community is only mentioning early elections in the north of Kosovo, while (Kosovo President) Vjosa Osmani is talking about readiness to call early elections in the entire territory. Elections are the only way for the Serb community representatives to return to the institutions and fill the security vacuum. In those elections Kurti will definitely be sent back into the opposition, because the international community has lost confidence in the Kosovo Prime Minister,” said Janjic.

He added that, after the latest events in Kosovo, the Belgrade-backed Serb List has lost credibility with the Serbs.

“The Serb List will see serious opposition from the Serb community, and the international community will seriously control the theft of votes, which definitely happens in the north of Kosovo. The Serb List will not longer be able to exert pressure on and blackmail the voters and other Serb political parties,” said Janic.

He said Serbian President Vucic will have a problem explaining his policy on Kosovo to the people in Serbia.

“Somehow the cards are falling in a way that Vucic is the one who should hand over Kosovo. When he decided in November last year that the Serbs should withdraw from the institutions, he gambled with Kosovo. He made a wrong and risky move and time will come for others to collect on it, because he did not have a backup plan. Vucic is losing political initiative in Kosovo as well, he is making a huge marketing fuss while actually causing immense damage to his people,” said Janjic.