The local elections of April 23, 2023, in the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo were boycotted by the Serbian List, which had called on Serb citizens to withdraw from institutions. The mayoral posts in the north had been left vacant in November 2022, when Serb representatives resigned from their functions due to the Kosovo Government’s decision to abolish Serbian license plates and replace them with Kosovo plates.
However, in these upcoming local elections, Janjic says that the party is returning to the elections with the support of President Vucic himself, thereby “legalizing” a situation created by that very boycott.
“In the midst of a deep crisis, where the risk is very high that he might not even be president by October, Vucic continues to support and push the Serbian List to field its members as candidates in the local elections. The paradox lies in the fact that the previous local elections were boycotted by the Serbian List, which called on people to withdraw from the four northern municipalities of Kosovo. The Serbian List and Vucic’s media urged citizens to abandon institutions. Now, in the upcoming elections, directly and indirectly, Vucic has legalized this new situation that was created in the north of Kosovo. This is truly paradoxical. I am certain that this is not the only face of Vucic’s politics. It also includes his game with the United States and the European Union. Now he is using the Serbian List,” Janjic told KosovaPress.
The Serbian List will run in the October 12 local elections in North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Zvecan, Novoberda, Obiliq, Shterpca, Graqanica, Ranilug, Partesh, and Klokot. Only for the assemblies, the party will run in Gjilan, Istog, Klina, Lipjan, Obiliq, Fushe Kosova, Kamenica, Vushtrri, and Peja.
