„We are not allowed to make statements“; „Truth be told, I don’t know anything about it“; „I don’t know what to tell you, I have other problems“, and „I’m not interested“. Most residents of North Mitrovica who participated in the new KoSSev portal’s latest Vox Pop revealed that they are not that interested, at least not publicly, in Srpska Lista’s decision to suddenly, with the demands they have been insisting on for months remaining unfulfilled, agree to participate in local elections in the north of Kosovo. Residents’ opinions who showed interest in the issue, however, is divided. While some believe that SL’s decision is nothing more than an instruction from Belgrade and a „humiliation“ for residents, some of them see the elections as a path to a better life, and others remain insistent that nothing will change.
The Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, called on the Serbs from the north of Kosovo last week to participate in the elections as soon as possible, that is, to „come out“ with initiatives for organizing the election process. A day later, Srpska Lista obeyed this „appeal“, and its leaders announced that they were ready for elections.
The party also asked Pristina to organize elections „as soon as possible“, demanding that the current mayors tender their resignations.
Srpska Lista thus broke their months-long silence, overlooking demands it previously made for a return to Kosovo institutions, following the mass withdrawal in November of last year. Some of the conditions listed at the time included the withdrawal of special units from the north and the formation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, which this party, until recently, described as a „condition above all conditions“.
Despite this, some citizens of North Mitrovica believe that Srpska Lista will still insist on these conditions.
„Without the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, they won’t have anything stable, they won’t agree, it’s all talk, the ASM first and then the elections,“ said one of KoSSev’s interlocutors in the Vox Pop survey.
Not everyone is optimistic. Some locals are confused as to why Srpska Lista made this decision.
„I don’t understand their decision, to tell you the truth, but it is what it is… Rakić gives speeches all the time, and what has been achieved? Nothing,“ said one resident of North Mitrovica.
She added, however, that she is ready to vote if it „benefits us“.
Some survey participants praised Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s policies, however, they emphasize that “swindles“ are being carried out in the north.
„As long as we have Vučić, we’ll have everything“ – reads one of the statements of an elderly fellow citizen.
On the other hand, some citizens believe that even after the elections – nothing will change.
„Nothing will change, because we are dealing with people who do not even care to talk. They simply want to conquer this territory and that’s it,“ one citizen commented on the policy of official Pristina, that is, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s policies.
On the other hand, more optimistic citizens say – „the situation will be better after the elections, otherwise, we would participate“.
However, when reminded that none of the conditions set by SL have been met for the return to Kosovo institutions, they respond:
„If they agreed and don’t come back, we didn’t do anything.“
Some residents, however, were not interested in commenting on the decision of SL for KoSSev.
„I am not interested in participating or not,“ says a resident of North Mitrovica.
Older residents, who were more willing to share their views in previous polls compared to the younger population, emphasize this gap even now.
Ask someone younger, what can I say to you
Younger residents, however, refuse to speak out or even cross the street whenever they see a camera or hear a journalist’s voice. Stefan Veljković, vice president of the civic initiative „Serbian Survival“, and journalist Ana Marija Ivković were one of the few who agreed to speak to KoSSev.
Veljković: Humiliation and disappointment
„Humiliation and disappointment“ – was how Veljković described Srpska Lista’s decision to participate in the elections.
„This is another humiliation and disappointment, and it shows how much we still don’t have an actual policy of local people to lead us, so this is just one more in a series of humiliations for regular people here,“ Veljković assessed.
In his words, what is even more humiliating is the fact that none of the conditions set by Srpska Lista have been met.
At the same time, he claims that Kosovo Serbs need a truly local party.
„Not SL, which has no idea what the people need, they are all millionaires, rich people who have no contact with ordinary people, with ordinary life and everyday life.„
He adds that „the people must be freed from their clutches.“ The local population must make decisions independently – both from Belgrade and Pristina, he underlined.
„We need partners in Belgrade and Pristina, not people who will overpower us,“ concluded KoSSev’s interlocutor.
Ivković: The policy on the ground determined by instructions coming from Belgrade
The journalist of Kontakt Plus radio, Ana Marija Ivković, says that SL’s decision to go to the polls is actually an instruction, and not a request from official Belgrade.
„It is clear that SL does not see any other obligation, except for the one towards the President of Serbia, i.e., the unofficial president of the Serbian Progressive Party, and that is very clear and I see it only as a very expected step in relation to what was already said in Belgrade,“ Ivković said.
Addressing the unfulfilled conditions for the return to Kosovo institutions, Ivković reminded us that this is not the first time Srpska Lista failed to fulfill its promises, recalling the December barricades, which were removed after three weeks, when the conditions set forward were also not met.
It is completely expected considering what happened before
According to her, SL still has the best chance of winning the largest number of votes in the elections in the north.
„It is obvious that we now have some voices saying that there will be some opposition parties if elections are called, however, although I believe that there are people who will support those parties, the power and all the levers of power are still in the hands of SL, that is, the people who are at the head of the institutions,“ Ivković assessed.
On the other hand, she claims that the Serbs will not feel any better after the possible elections, adding that she does not foresee any major changes in the situation on the ground.
„The fact is that we have not seen any improvement in the past decade. We only had some promises, and those promises were not fulfilled, and the same pattern continued,“ Ivković points out.
Politics is conducted at the level of party politics, not at the level of keeping Serbs in these areas.
The policy to be implemented in the north of Kosovo is determined in Belgrade, she added.
„The policy on the ground will be determined by instructions coming from Belgrade, regardless of whether it is wrong or negative for the citizens in the north of Kosovo,“ concluded our interlocutor.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
