EU Observers Criticise ‘Pressure’ on Kosovo Serb Voters

The European Union Observation Mission said on Tuesday that Kosovo's election campaign was vibrant and competitive, allowing contestants to campaign freely in most of the country, but cautioned that the process was marred by an "uneven playing field'" and intimidation in Serb-majority areas.

The observation mission's chief, MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, also cautioned that Kosovo needed to do more to raise its standards to international levels.

"Recurring systemic problems with the election process identified also by previous observation missions such as provisions for calling early elections in a short timeframe, an unregulated pre-campaign period and others, need to be addressed in order to bring the election process in Kosovo fully in line with international standards for democratic elections," von Cramon-Taubadel said.

The EU observer mission reported that in Serb-dominated areas, parties seeking to compete with Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista "were unable to mount effective campaigns due in part to intimidation of candidates, their families and voters in general".

"Srpska Lista-controlled municipalities, as well as the government of Serbia, directed Kosovo Serbs to vote only for Srpska Lista, while their opponents were denounced as anti-Serbian. This limited the exercise of fundamental democratic rights of freedom of speech, assembly and representation and consequently, the electoral process for Kosovo Serbs fell short of these international standards," the mission's preliminary report said.

It also noted that several TV channels breached regulations on paid-for content, partly by displaying political advertising during electoral and political debates, and criticised Kosovo's Independent Media Commission for largely failing to...