Against the Government’s welcome of Serbia’s elections in Kosova

The Kosova Government has made its latest concession.  After the many statements in recent months that it would not allow Serbia’s elections in the Republic of Kosova, in a press release, the Government welcomed the agreement reached between the OSCE and Serbia’s Government, for the organization of Serbia’s elections in Kosova’s territory.  Kosova’s Government is trying to excuse itself, saying that the OSCE  will organize elections, and not the Republic of Serbia, however according to declarations of the OSCE and Serbia’s Government, the OSCE will only monitor and facilitate Serbia’s elections in Kosova, with a team of 35 monitors.

In its press release, the Government calls on European principles and values allowing citizens with dual citizenship to participate in elections.  However, Serbia does not recognize Kosova as a state and Serbia’s constitution presents Kosova integral.  Serbia is organizing these elections on the basis of its constitution, by which all citizens of Serbia in its territory will vote for a President and future Government of Serbia.  So, Kosova’s Government is making possible respect for Serbia’s constitution in Kosova’s territory.  As before, during the dialogue between the Government of Thaçi and Serbia, this Government recognizes Serbia’s constitution and automatically denies the statehood of the Republic of Kosova.

We cannot pretend that Kosova’s relations with Serbia are normal, and that the organization of Serbia’s elections in Kosova is a technical problem of OSCE monitoring.  The decision to hold elections in Kosova’s territory is a deeply political decision and is a serious violation of the territorial and institutional integrity of the Republic of Kosova. The Kosova Government said this in recent weeks and it has sporadically confiscated election material.  If all that was problematic was OSCE monitoring, then why did the Kosova police confiscate electoral material and arrest people who distributed this material, when it is clear that in the meantime, the electoral material hasn’t changed nor has any law or regulation for these elections in Kosova or Serbia?!

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE once again reconfirms its opposition to the holding of any sort of elections of the Republic of Serbia in Kosova’s territory. A legitimate and democratic Government, which this current Government is not, would prevent these elections and would not welcome them.  To make Kosova sovereign, with rule of law, the institutions and Kosova Police, should undertake these steps with regard to Serbia’s elections on May 6:

1.    Stopping and preventing the travel of Serbia’s officials to Kosova

2.    Confiscating all electoral material from Serbia

3.    Arresting officials of the Republican Electoral Commission of Serbia in Kosova’s territory

This is in full accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosova and is, in fact, an obligation deriving from the Constitution for all institutions of the Republic of Kosova.

In addition, it is ironic that the OSCE mission in Kosova, an organization with a mission to assist in democratization in states where it works, since 2008 and the declaration of independence, has not assisted or facilitated the organization of any elections in the Republic of Kosova, but now is facilitating the organization of Serbia’s elections in Kosova. Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE calls on the OSCE mission in Kosova to help Kosova’s true democratization, assisting the institutions of the Republic of Kosova in the challenges it faces.

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE!