Polling stations have just closed in Kosovo, marking the first local elections since April 2023, when Serbs boycotted the vote in the north. This followed their withdrawal from Kosovo’s institutions in November 2022 over the license plate dispute — a move that saw Serbian representatives resign en masse from the police, judiciary, and administration. Speaking earlier today in Belgrade, President Aleksandar Vučić said he hoped for the Serb List’s success in Sunday’s elections.
“I hope for the Serb List’s victory, I hope they will be able to regain part of the power into their hands,” he told reporters while opening new clinics in the capital.
The Serb List, backed by the Serbian government, is now seeking a return to Kosovo’s political scene — despite the fact that the conditions it had previously set for re-engagement, with Vučić’s public support, remain unfulfilled.
“Boycott until conditions are met — or until they change their minds”
When Serbs in northern Kosovo, led by the Serb List, withdrew from Kosovo’s institutions on November 5, 2022, they announced that their decisions would remain in force until Pristina began implementing international agreements — including the Brussels deal — by reversing its unilateral decision on vehicle registration and forming the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities (ASM).
Not only were these demands unmet, but Kosovo’s special police units have since expanded their presence, establishing control in urban areas where they had not previously been stationed. Meanwhile, Pristina maintained that Serbian-issued license plates could no longer be used.
In April 2023, snap local elections were held in four northern municipalities. At a joint meeting in Raška, attended by Vučić and Serb List representatives, five conclusions were adopted — effectively reaffirming the boycott until specific conditions were met: withdrawal of special units from the north, international intervention over the plate issue, urgent formation of the ASM, support from Serbia for the boycott, and continued economic aid for local Serbs.
Three years later, those conditions remain unmet. On the contrary, by the Serb List’s own standards, the situation has worsened: special police have entrenched their positions, Serbian license plates and the dinar have been banned, Serbian-run institutions have been shut down – with the exception of healthcare and education, and Kosovo laws on residence and vehicles are set to be enforced.
Kosovo’s authorities have tightened control in the north, introducing new measures that, according to critics — including international officials — further restrict the rights and influence of the local Serb community.
From the football pitch to the polling stations
President Vučić also linked today’s vote to another event that stirred emotions over the weekend — Serbia’s loss to Albania in Leskovac on Saturday night.
“Albanians — whether they live in Pristina, Tirana, Tuzi, Rožaje, Preševo, or Bujanovac — are ecstatic after their team’s victory. I hope that tonight there will be a more important celebration, in the Serb communities in Kosovo and Metohija,” Vučić said.
Referring to the symbolic rivalry, he added:
“Just as they celebrated last night with Albanian flags — tonight, I hope, we will see joy over something more meaningful than kicking a ball, something that truly matters to our people.”
Vučić also commented on what he described as “nervousness among Albanians” due to what he called a higher turnout in Serb-majority areas.
“I saw that Albanians are quite nervous because of the higher turnout in Serb areas. Everywhere, by 10 a.m., the turnout was higher in Serb than in Albanian communities,” he told reporters.
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