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Euractiv
4 days ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
Weapons, warrants, and whistle protests: the tensions shaping Kosovo's election season
A high-profile police raid on properties linked to a rising Kosovo Serb political figure has stirred fresh controversy weeks ahead of local elections, with authorities citing a cache of heavy weapons and the targeted party denouncing the move as politically motivated. Kosovo's Interior Minister Xhelal Svečla said police discovered rocket launchers and grenades buried in a horse barn during a 22 June search of a weekend cabin used by Serbian Democracy (SD) leader Aleksandar Arsenijević. He was out of the country at the time and denies any link to the weapons, calling the operation a political stunt. 'There is no doubt that this is a setup... the barn is open non-stop; anyone could have planted them,' Arsenijević told NIN. His party says he declined to return to Kosovo, citing safety concerns and the absence of due process. The FBI has been asked to investigate the legality of the search. EULEX, the EU's rule of law mission, confirmed it is monitoring the case. The searches targeted three locations – one in northern Mitrovica and two in Zvečan – and took place while Arsenijević and seven SD members were travelling abroad. SD vice president Stefan Veljković said police informed them of the operation as they returned to Kosovo. Arsenijević, who had left the group earlier for a family trip, opted not to cross the border. Arsenijević's mother, the only family member still in Kosovo, was reportedly not shown a warrant. The police have not confirmed whether one was issued, and the prosecutor's office declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of the case. Under Kosovo law, warrantless searches are permitted only if there is an imminent threat to public safety. Interior Minister Svečla has labelled Arsenijević a 'criminal' and vowed to arrest him if he re-enters Kosovo. Arsenijević has rejected the allegations, saying the campaign against him reflects a broader strategy to intimidate Serbs who challenge the status quo. A disruptive force Though SD holds no seats in Kosovo's parliament, the party has disrupted the political scene by offering an alternative to the dominant Belgrade-backed Serb List (SL) and ethnic Serb parties aligned with Pristina. Its rise reflects growing grassroots frustration among Kosovo Serbs, who feel politically orphaned. SL still occupies nine of the ten parliament seats reserved for Serbs, but its influence has waned following serious criminal allegations – including the September 2023 Banjska attack, claimed by former SL vice president Milan Radoičić. Since then, major parties have refused to work with SL. Arsenijević gained visibility through the 'Pištalka' or 'whistle' protests – noisy demonstrations held during visits by senior Kosovo officials to Serb-majority areas. He has accused Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Minister Svečla of implementing discriminatory policies and says he has been arrested more than 20 times, often violently. The SD leader's growing prominence has coincided with a series of contentious moves by the government targeting Serb communities. These include the closure of Serbian-funded cultural institutions, bans on Serbian flags and symbols – despite constitutional protections – and evictions linked to disputed privatisations. Authorities have also begun deporting Serb-Kosovar dual citizens working in Serbian institutions. While officials cite national security concerns, critics point out that none of the 11 individuals removed has been charged or convicted. Ethnic Albanians in foreign police forces have not faced similar measures. One longstanding grievance remains the stalled implementation of the Association of Serb Municipalities (ASM), guaranteed under the 2013 Brussels Agreement but yet to be established. While the government defends its actions as necessary responses to security threats – citing the Banjska attack and the Ibra‑Lepenec canal bombing – rights groups and opposition figures accuse it of overreach. Controversial incidents include the conviction of an ethnic Albanian officer who shot an unarmed Serb man at a checkpoint and the alleged police beating of a teenage student. Tensions further escalated on 28 June (Vidovdan), when SD vice president Veljković was arrested at the Gazimestan memorial site for wearing a T-shirt with Arsenijević's image and a Serbian flag. Though later released, he was stopped again, interrogated, and allegedly assaulted outside his home. According to SD, two men attempted to run him over with a van; one suspect has been arrested. Marko Prelec, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, has warned that such actions resemble 'a kind of soft ethnic cleansing – not meant to eliminate a minority but to marginalise it.' Mounting discontent The political climate remains tense. Prime Minister Kurti's Vetëvendosje has failed to form a stable government since February's elections, after 40 failed coalition attempts. Popular dissatisfaction is growing as the acting government struggles to manage Kosovo's energy crisis and economic headwinds. Food prices have soared by as much as 19%, while the Turkish-owned operator of Kosovo's energy grid has warned of potential collapse due to overuse and lack of investment. Over 37,000 Kosovars have emigrated in 2024 alone, according to official figures. Compounding the government's challenges is the EU's freezing of €813 million in grants over stalled normalisation with the Serb minority. Serbia, by contrast, has already received its first payout under the EU's new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The government also faces international criticism for plans to build two car bridges next to the iconic pedestrian-only Mitrovica bridge – a symbolic flashpoint between Serbs and Albanians. The EU and other international actors have urged Kosovo to abandon the project, arguing it risks inflaming tensions further. As local elections approach in October, Serbian Democracy's insurgent campaign and Arsenijević's standoff with Pristina and Belgrade may redraw the political map in Serb-majority areas. Whether the party can translate momentum into seats remains uncertain – but the government's handling of the Serb minority will likely remain under scrutiny.
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Kosovo's election result: a gateway to rapprochement with the EU
Seventeen years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, its future remains shadowed and compromised by relations with Belgrade. More than a decade of normalisation talks have so far been a road to nowhere, stymied principally by Serbia's refusal to recognise its former territory's right to the attributes of nationhood. In the country's four northern Serb-majority municipalities, the deadlock has occasionally turned deadly as Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti, has attempted to enforce sovereignty, resisted by Belgrade-backed rebels. There are tentative grounds for hoping that the outcome of Kosovo's latest election on Sunday, in which Mr Kurti's ruling party came first but lost its majority, can deliver a route out of this impasse. Mr Kurti's understandable but sometimes heavy-handed moves to demonstrate Pristina's control over the north – such as imposing ethnic Albanian mayors after a mass election boycott by ethnic Serbs – have been strongly criticised by both the European Union and the US. On the eve of the poll, Richard Grenell, the newly appointed US special envoy for special missions, said that relations between Washington and Pristina had 'never been lower'. Meanwhile the EU has imposed sanctions that have so far cost one of the poorest and smallest nations in Europe about €150m (£125m). The prospect of a new coalition government in Pristina opens up the possibility of a less intransigent and more pragmatic approach. Both main opposition parties campaigned on the need to improve relations with western partners, and anxiety over Kosovo's isolation at a perilous geopolitical moment was one of the election's major themes. If the new Kurti administration can move beyond sometimes strident nationalist rhetoric and get Brussels and Washington back onside, that will be overwhelmingly in Kosovo's interest. The goal should be the belated implementation of a 2023 normalisation agreement, which theoretically obliged Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vučić, to recognise Kosovo's nationhood, in exchange for semi-autonomous powers for ethnic Serbs in the north. But getting there will require Mr Vučić, who has constantly fanned the flames of ethnic tension, to cease playing to his own nationalist gallery and finally sign the deal. Brussels should respond to any conciliatory steps from Pristina with alacrity and generosity. It takes two to create a deadlock, but while one of the tiniest and most vulnerable nations in Europe has been punished by sanctions, its large, bullying and hostile neighbour has not, for reasons of regional realpolitik. Given the obvious and ominous precedent of Ukraine, Mr Kurti's fears over Belgrade's ultimate agenda in Kosovo's north are entirely comprehensible. They will be compounded by the memory of Donald Trump's previous backing of a plan which at one stage included Kosovo's partition. The EU has a new foreign affairs chief in the former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas, and a new special envoy for Kosovo and Serbia normalisation in the Danish diplomat Peter Sørensen – a regional specialist. Britain's new special envoy to the region, Karen Pierce, was ambassador to the US for five years. That offers the opportunity for a fresh start in relation to a country that has established a well-functioning democracy in the most challenging of contexts. Kosovo's next government needs to be more pragmatic and less driven by Mr Kurti's 'you're with us or against us' brand of nationalism. But the west must do more than just meet it halfway.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Uncertainty looms in Kosovo parliamentary polls
Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling party appeared set to secure the most seats in Kosovo's parliamentary elections Sunday but it remained uncertain whether the incumbent stood a chance of forming a majority government. Sunday's contest largely pitted Kurti's quest to stamp out Serbian influence on Kosovo's soil during his time as premier against the opposition's vow to boost the economy in one of the poorest pockets of Europe. Without a party winning a clear majority in the 120-seat parliament, Kosovo would likely be headed for days if not weeks of coalition talks and political horse-trading. Twenty seats are reserved for minority parties, including 10 for Kosovo's ethnic Serbs. A projection published by leading Kosovo news outlet KOHA said Kurti's Vetevendosje ("Self-Determination") party (VV) was leading the race with an estimated 42 percent of votes. The right-wing Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) trailed in second with 21 percent followed by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 20 percent. An online website set to publish official results as the vote was counted appeared to have crashed on Sunday evening. The long-time rivals PDK and LDK have partnered to form coalition governments on multiple occasions since the independence war from Serbia in the late 1990s, following mediation and pressure from the international community. In the run-up to Sunday's vote, Kurti hinted that he would prefer to enter opposition if his party was unable to form a majority government by itself. Election officials said turnout for the vote hovered around 40 percent. - Shadow state - Animosity between Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s. Serbia has steadfastly refused to acknowledge Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008. To curb Belgrade's influence, Kurti's government effectively outlawed the use of the Serbian dinar currency, closed banks and shuttered the post offices where Serbian pension payments were cashed. Belgrade-backed government and tax offices have also been closed and Serbian car number plates have been banned. The moves have heightened the uneasy relations between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority and its Serb minority in the run-up to the polls. Once known for antagonistic stunts such as letting off tear gas in parliament, the VV has grown from a street movement led by Kurti in the 2000s to Kosovo's dominant political party. Kurti's government is the first to finish its full term in office since the breakaway Serbian province declared independence. But Kurti's rule has been turbulent. Tensions spiked after EU- and US-backed negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia all but collapsed in March 2023. In the aftermath, NATO peacekeepers were assaulted by rioting Serbs while a deadly armed standoff in the north sent regional tensions soaring. Throughout the unrest, Kurti has remained unwavering, even if it meant running afoul of Kosovo's vital allies in the United States and Europe. But his supporters have praised his vision. "You can see the things (Kurti) has done. He is irreplaceable," Zek Kurtaj, 40, told AFP after landing at the Pristina airport on Saturday ahead of the vote. - 'Missing out' - Others suggest Kurti's actions may have been overly disruptive. Kurti "has been repeatedly accused by opposition parties of delivering little, defying the international community, and complaining about Serbia," wrote Jonathan Moore, an analyst from the Atlantic Council's Europe Center. Several of Kurti's rivals have sought to focus on Kosovo's economic uncertainty. Kosovo remains one of the poorest economies in Europe, with roughly 12 percent of its population emigrating since 2011. Many voters said economic issues were at the top of their minds as they cast their ballots. "We believe that change will come. I am thinking about employment, the economy, and all other sectors," Remzije Halimi, a teacher, told AFP. Ahead of the vote, PDK leading figure Xhavit Haliti slammed Kurti for fraying ties with Washington and Brussels. Meanwhile, the LDK led by economist Lumir Abdixhiku has vowed to increase salaries and boost pensions. In ethnic Serb areas, the Belgrade-backed Serb List party has campaigned on familiar vows to protect the rights of Kosovo's dwindling Serb minority. Serb voters in the northern city of Mitrovica said they hoped elections would bring more prosperity in the future after years of tensions. "The situation is now so bad that it can only be better," said Serb resident Dragisa, who only provided his first name. ih-ds/sbk
Al-Ahram Weekly
09-02-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Kosovo votes amid tensions with allies, Serbia - International
Voters began casting ballots in Kosovo elections Sunday in a contest that pits combative incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti's quest to stamp out Serbian influence against a fractured opposition's vow to boost the economy. Kurti and his Vetevendosje ("Self-Determination") party (VV) have campaigned on their efforts to dismantle the remaining Serbian institutions in Kosovo while expanding the government's reach to Serb-majority areas. Those pledges appear to have been well received by large swaths of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, with one of the few available polls projecting that VV was on course to capture roughly half of the vote. Kurti's campaign has sought to drive home the message, insisting the government is in greater control of Kosovo's territory than at any other time since independence. "I thank all the citizens of Kosovo who voted so far and encourage everybody to vote. Exercise your democratic right to make your voice heard," said Kurti as voting got under way across Kosovo. Animosity between Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s. Serbia has steadfastly refused to acknowledge Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008. Since the war's end, remnants of Serbian government institutions continued to provide services -- ranging from health care to education -- to Serbs inside Kosovo. But in the past year, Kurti has sought to end that status quo. Shadow state Kosovo's authorities have effectively outlawed the use of the Serbian dinar, closed banks and shuttered the post offices where Serbian pension payments were cashed. Belgrade-backed government and tax offices have also been closed and Serbian car plates banned. The moves have heightened the uneasy relations between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority and its Serb minority in the run-up to the polls. Once known for antagonistic stunts such as letting off tear gas in parliament, the VV has grown from a street movement led by Kurti in the 2000s to Kosovo's dominant political party. Kurti's government is the first to finish its full term in office since the breakaway Serbian province declared independence. But Kurti's rule has been turbulent, marked by regular unrest between Serbs and ethnic Albanians. Tensions spiked after EU- and US-backed negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia all but collapsed in March 2023. In the aftermath, NATO peacekeepers were assaulted by rioting Serbs, a deadly armed standoff in the north sent regional tensions soaring and an explosion targeting a canal vital to Kosovo's power plants late last year saw Kurti blaming Belgrade. Throughout the unrest, Kurti has remained unwavering, even if it meant running afoul of Kosovo's vital allies in the United States and Europe. But his supporters have praised his vision. "You can see the things (Kurti) has done. He is irreplaceable," Zek Kurtaj, 40, told AFP after landing at the Pristina airport on Saturday ahead of the vote. 'Critical indicator' Others suggest Kurti's actions may have been overly disruptive. Kurti "has been repeatedly accused by opposition parties of delivering little, defying the international community, and complaining about Serbia while missing out on opportunities to build infrastructure and develop Kosovo economically," wrote Jonathan Moore, an analyst from the Atlantic Council's Europe Center. "The results of this election will be a critical indicator of Kosovo's future." Several of Kurti's rivals -- which include more than two dozen opposition parties in the contest -- have sought to focus on Kosovo's economic uncertainty. Kosovo remains one of the poorest economies in Europe, with roughly 12 percent of its population emigrating since 2011. Many voters said economic issues were at the top of their minds as they cast their ballots. "We believe that change will come. I am thinking about employment, the economy, and all other sectors," Remzije Halimi, a teacher, told AFP. "My main concern is improving the education system and creating more opportunities for young people like me," added first-time voter Morena Ismaili. In the run up to the vote, Xhavit Haliti of the right-wing Democratic Party of Kosovo -- considered one of the VV's strongest opponents -- has slammed Kurti for fraying ties with Washington and Brussels. Meanwhile, the Democratic League of Kosovo led by economist Lumir Abdixhiku has vowed to increase salaries and boost pensions. In ethnic Serb areas, the Belgrade-backed Serb List party has campaigned on familiar vows to protect the rights of Kosovo's dwindling Serb minority. "Any Serb who does not vote tomorrow or who votes against the Serb List de facto gives their vote to Kurti and to those who obey him," party leader Zlatan Elek told local media. Voting began at 07:00 am (0600 GMT) and will end 12 hours later, when exit polls are expected. Short link:
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kosovo votes amid tensions with allies, Serbia
Voters will cast ballots in Kosovo elections Sunday in a contest that pits combative incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti's quest to stamp out Serbian influence against a fractured opposition's vow to boost the economy. Kurti and his Vetevendosje ("Self-Determination") party (VV) have campaigned on their efforts to dismantle the remaining Serbian institutions in Kosovo while expanding the government's reach to Serb-majority areas. Those pledges have been well received by large swathes of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority -- with one of the few available polls projecting that VV was on course to capture roughly half of the vote. Kurti's campaign has sought to drive home the message, insisting the government is in greater control of Kosovo's territory than at any other time since independence. "It will be a historic referendum on Sunday," Kurti said at a campaign rally in Pristina Friday night, stressing the need to secure 500,000 votes to form a majority government. Animosity between Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s. Serbia has steadfastly refused to acknowledge Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008. Since the war's end, remnants of Serbian government institutions continued to provide services -- ranging from health care to education -- to Serbs inside Kosovo. But in the past year, Kurti has sought to end that status quo. - Shadow state - Kosovo's authorities have effectively outlawed the use of the Serbian dinar, closed banks and shuttered the post offices where Serbian pension payments were cashed. Belgrade-backed government and tax offices have also been closed and Serbian car plates banned. The moves have heightened the uneasy relations between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority and its Serb minority in the run-up to the polls. Once known for antagonistic stunts such as letting off tear gas in parliament, the VV has grown from a street movement led by Kurti in the 2000s to Kosovo's dominant political party. Kurti's government is the first to finish its full term in office since the breakaway Serbian province declared independence. But Kurti's rule has been turbulent, marked by regular unrest between Serbs and ethnic Albanians. Tensions spiked after EU- and US-backed negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia all but collapsed in March 2023. In the aftermath, NATO peacekeepers were assaulted by rioting Serbs, a deadly armed standoff in the north sent regional tensions soaring and an explosion targeting a canal vital to Kosovo's power plants late last year saw Kurti blaming Belgrade. Throughout the unrest, Kurti has remained unwavering, even if it meant running afoul of Kosovo's vital allies in the United States and Europe. But his supporters have praised his vision. "You can see the things (Kurti) has done. He is irreplaceable," Zek Kurtaj, 40, told AFP after landing at the Pristina airport on Saturday ahead of the vote. - Critical indicator - Others suggest Kurti's actions may have been overly disruptive. Kurti "has been repeatedly accused by opposition parties of delivering little, defying the international community, and complaining about Serbia while missing out on opportunities to build infrastructure and develop Kosovo economically," wrote Jonathan Moore, an analyst from the Atlantic Council's Europe Center. "The results of this election will be a critical indicator of Kosovo's future." Many of Kurti's rivals -- which include more than two dozen opposition parties in the contest -- have sought to focus on Kosovo's economic uncertainty. Kosovo remains one of the poorest economies in Europe, with roughly 12 percent of its population emigrating since 2011. Xhavit Haliti of the right-wing Democratic Party of Kosovo -- considered one of the VV's strongest opponents -- has denounced Kurti for fraying ties with Washington and Brussels. Meanwhile, the Democratic League of Kosovo led by economist Lumir Abdixhiku has vowed to increase salaries and boost pensions. In ethnic Serb areas, the Belgrade-backed Serb List party has campaigned on familiar vows to protect the rights of Kosovo's dwindling Serb minority. "Any Serb who does not vote tomorrow or who votes against the Serb List de facto gives their vote to Kurti and to those who obey him," party leader Zlatan Elek told local media. Voting will begin at 07:00 am (0600 GMT) on Sunday and close 12 hours later, when exit polls are expected. ih-ds/sbk/js
