Kosovo’s electoral authorities refused to certify the largest ethnic Serb party to run in the upcoming national elections over its close ties to Serbia, according to Euractiv.
The chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Kreshnik Radoniqi, announced the results of the 11-member commission’s vote on the party’s application for candidacy on Monday.
The recommendation for the certification of the Serb List… didn’t pass.
Two CEC members voted against certification, two voted in favour and seven abstained. The votes against were cast by members of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement.
The United States expressed concern about the decision, according to a statement by a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Pristina.
Such actions undermine the basic democratic principles for free and fair elections and open the door to subjective political influence on the electoral process.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also accused Kurti of trying to “remove the Serbian List as the only political opponent.” The Serbian List holds all 10 seats in Kosovo’s parliament reserved for ethnic Serbs and has veto power.
The party has tense relations with the Kosovo government, as Pristina claims that the Serbian List is Vučić’s tool in Kosovo, as Serbia has not recognised Kosovo’s independence declared in 2008.
The party has the right to appeal to the special judicial election commission and then to the Supreme Court for a final decision.
