FLASH
Shkruar nga Diplomatico | Pamfleti.net
A race without candidates is taking place in the four Serbian municipalities of Kosovo, and a vote that measures political conviction more than civic participation...
The extraordinary elections in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo; North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok, are more than an electoral process. They are a political and diplomatic test to measure how viable the sovereignty of the state of Kosovo is in a territory that continues to function under the shadow of Serbian influence.
These elections come after a long crisis of legitimacy, which culminated in the boycott of the Serbian List in 2023, violent clashes in northern municipalities, KFOR interventions, and harsh international criticism of the Kurti government.
Now, with the support of the EU and the US for the organization of these elections, Kosovo is trying to restore a form of institutional normality in the north, but with participation that, in the first hours, has proven low and under the latent threat of new boycotts organized by Belgrade.
The snap elections in Kosovo’s northern municipalities are not just local; they are a profound reflection of the sovereignty clash between Pristina and Belgrade. With low turnout and pressure from the Serbian List that continues to dominate political life through fear-mongering, Kosovo is trying to regain institutional control, while the West seeks to avoid crises without resolving them. Every vote cast today is a political act, a choice between a functional Kosovo and an autonomy commanded from outside.
The Serbian List, although formally distanced from participation, has activated its entire informal apparatus to intimidate voters, discourage participation, and build the narrative that “northern Kosovo does not recognize these elections.” Moreover, representatives of this structure have made it clear that they will not recognize the results unless they produce a fabricated victory for Belgrade’s interests.
In this way, the elections are taking place in a terrain where each northern Serbian voter must choose not between candidates, but between two political realities: that of an independent Kosovo with legitimate institutions, or that of a parallel autonomy led by Vučić.
For the Kosovo government, these elections are an attempt to rectify a situation that was politically and diplomatically mismanaged last year, when, despite international warnings, municipal mayors were appointed without real representation in the Serbian community.
Now, with international pressure and the conditioning of the European path, Kurti has been forced to accept rules of the game that are not ideal, but necessary.
On the other hand, the international community itself has turned its eyes to the north, not necessarily to support Kosovo's institutions, but to maintain a kind of "fragile balance" that often favors Serbian policies.
In this context, every vote in these municipalities carries the weight of a much more important political act than a local election; it is a direct statement about who has legitimacy in the north: Kosovo or Belgrade.
This process should not be seen as an end to the crisis, but as a new episode in a larger battle for control over the north. With turnout likely to remain low and the ongoing challenge of Serbian List interference, the 2025 elections will not solve the problem, but will more clearly highlight the political reality: that without a radical change in the West’s approach to parallel structures, and without a new consensus between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs to share power without external dictation, the north will remain the most vulnerable area of Kosovo statehood./ Pamphlet
Lini një Përgjigje