Ruairi O'Connell

Serbian Elections in Kosovo

On 11 May, Serbia held Parliamentary and municipal elections

Despite clear warnings from the United Nations, Serbia also chose to organise local elections in Kosovo, in open defiance of UNSCR 1244, and in violation of the UN's mandate in Kosovo. The UN have said that they will not recognise the results of the municipal elections, which will have no legal validity in Kosovo - the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Joachim Ruecker said "Their outcome will not be recognized". So the holding of the elections seems to be leading Kosovo Serbs down a dead-end.

Seen from here, Serbia's decision to organise local elections is not designed to help the Kosovo Serbs - it is meant to keep them under Belgrade's control and part of a campaign to drive a wedge between Kosovo's Serbian and Albanian communities. I have written previously about Serbia's support for 'parallel structures' in Kosovo. The Ahtisaari plan - and Kosovo law - enshrine strong protections for Kosovo's minority communities; it just needs Kosovo Serbs to make use of these opportunities. Kosovo Serbs would be best served by efforts that help them to integrate into Kosovo's life, and Kosovo's economy. The Ahtisaari plan, and the benefits it offers, would also give them a high degree of control over their own lives; perhaps this is why the Serbian government doesn't want them to use these opportunities (I have heard Serbian government appointees in Northern Kosovo say that even reading the Ahtisaari plan is a traitorous act).

So, Kosovo Serbs will turned out to vote for municipal bodies that won't be able to improve their lives - but which do make it harder to integrate into Kosovo society. Not so much a missed opportunity, as a step in the wrong direction.

Posted at 15:44 12 May 2008 by Ruairi O'Connell  |  Comments[1]