Kosovo Serb Parties Mull United Election List

Members of the Belgrade-backed Srpska List have started discussions with other Serbian parties in Kosovo, fleshing out options on how to run together in the upcoming general elections on June 8.

Goran Rakic, from the Srpska list, who became mayor of North Mitrovica in the last local elections, told Balkan Insight that consultations with other Serbian parties were ongoing.

However, he said there was no final agreement on which candidates who would be fielded on the list to participate in the parliamentary elections.

The Srpska list gained significant support in the 2013 local polls and won in almost all Serbian-dominated municipalities.

Slobodan Petrovic’s Social Liberty Party suffered badly in the elections, losing a large number of votes.

Nenad Rasic, outgoing minister of work and social welfare in the government and head of the Serbian Progressive Democratic Party, confirmed that Srpska list members had already approached him.

“We need to know who is on the list. If the people don’t represent the interest of the Kosovo Serbs, we cannot support the list,” he told Balkan Insight.

Rasic said no deal had been reached so far on a united list. “Right now, we are preparing and consolidating our party in order to compete alone in the national elections. Any decision to join a united list depends on its candidates,” he said.

Whoever participates in the united list will have to submit their details to the Central Election Commission by May 16, when the deadline for certification expires.