What is the importance of Serbian councilors in municipalities with an Albanian majority in protecting the interests and rights of Serbs?

In addition to the ten municipalities where Serbs constitute the majority of the population, candidates from the Serb List will also run for councilor positions in several municipalities with an Albanian majority in the local elections on October 12. They emphasize that it is of great importance for Serbs to be present in those municipalities in order to protect the interests of the remaining Serbian population and secure their rights.

Written by: Milena Miladinovic

Gnjilane, Istok, Pec, Klina, Lipljan, Kosovo Polje, Obilic, Vucitrn, and Kamenica are the municipalities where Serbs from surrounding villages, as well as internally displaced persons with the right to vote, will be able to vote for Serbian councilors in municipal assemblies.

In these elections, in addition to candidates for councilors, the Serb List will, for the second time, have a candidate for mayor of Obilic — Goran Dancetovic.

In a statement to Kosovo Online, Dancetovic stressed that he and the candidates for the Municipal Assembly of Obilic would fight in the October 12 elections for the rights of Serbs living in the Obilic municipality, as guaranteed by law.

The previous convocation of the Obilic Municipal Assembly had two Serbian councilors, and, according to Dancetovic, the upcoming local elections will continue the struggle to protect the remaining Serbian population in that municipality.

“Just like in the previous election cycle, this year too the Serb List in Obilic has its list of councilor candidates and a mayoral candidate. The goal is always the same — the protection of our interests, the interests of our people living on the territory of the Municipality of Obilic. This means consolidating the electorate that supports our list, and our list guarantees our people a connection with Belgrade, with our state. That is how we strive to protect the remaining Serbs living in Obilic,” said Dancetovic.

He emphasized that it is crucial to secure Serbs’ rights through institutional struggle.

“It’s important because only through those institutions can we fight for the rights of the people living in our municipality. I believe it’s still not at the desired level, not at the level prescribed by law, but from one election cycle to another we are slowly reaching a certain degree of institutional protection — precisely through the councilors we have in the Assembly,” he added.

Dancetovic pointed out that Serbs in municipalities with an Albanian majority primarily expect protection, as their rights have been endangered since Albin Kurti and his party came to power.

“Our people are losing certain rights guaranteed even by Kosovo laws — through assemblies, through bodies established within them, such as the Committee for Communities, one of the most important, and the Committee for Policy and Finance. I believe that through these, we can protect our people and their interests in the villages surrounding Obilic,” he said.

He recalled that the Serb List had also won two councilor seats in the previous elections in Obilic and expressed hope that this would continue.

“The Serb List has won two councilor seats in Obilic in the past two election cycles, and I believe it is possible for the Serb List to have decisive influence in the Assembly — which would, of course, mean a lot to us,” Dancetovic said.

Alongside Goran Dancetovic, the Serb List candidates for the Obilic Municipal Assembly include Savo Grujic, Biljana Spasic, Slaviša Spasic, Slaviša Jakovljevic, Stana Jakovljevic, Dragan Dancetovic, and Nadica Stevic.

From Priluzje, a village belonging to the Vucitrn municipality, Spasoje Stefanovic is running as a candidate for the local assembly.

According to him, a councilor seat is of great significance for Serbs in the villages of that municipality.

“This year, too, the Serb List is participating in the local elections with its candidates. It is important for us to have our representative in this convocation. We have gathered around the Serb List under the slogan Together We Can, inviting people to vote and support us so that we can secure a councilor seat, which is important for us not only in Priluzje, but also in Gojbulja, Grace, and Banjska,” Stefanovic told Kosovo Online.

He added that through representation in the municipal assembly, the voice of Serbs can be heard.

“The role of a councilor seat is very important — by being present in the assembly, our voice can be heard as we fight for our rights, which we can realize through infrastructural investments in our villages, such as road construction, water supply networks, public lighting, sewage, and so on,” Stefanovic emphasized.

He said that residents could expect continued institutional efforts after the elections.

“Residents can expect a strong institutional fight. With their representative in the municipal assembly, they can expect continued investment in infrastructure and, if possible, some job opportunities as well. That’s why it’s important that people come out and support our candidates,” he stated.

Residents of Priluzje told Kosovo Online that they believe a Serbian councilor will protect the interests of both Serbs and Roma, noting that although around 300 Roma live there, they do not have a representative in the Vucitrn Municipal Assembly.

“For the residents of Priluzje in the Vucitrn municipality, it’s very important to have a councilor, because that way we can ensure the rights of Serbs living here. We mostly expect investments in infrastructure, employment for young people, and so on,” one local resident said.

Xhemo Emini, a representative of the Roma community in Priluzje, said that the Serbian councilor in the previous term had always helped the Roma community and that he expected the same after the October 12 elections.

“That’s very important because Priluzje is separated from other Serbian areas — we must have someone to represent us in the Vucitrn Municipal Assembly. I must say that the mayor of Obilic kept his promise — road paving has started, 85 meters of sewage network have been built, and street lighting is next. Serbian councilors have helped us, and I believe we’ll have even better cooperation in the future,” Emini said.

The head of the Provisional Authority of the Vucitrn municipality, Milan Kostic, emphasized the importance of Serbs’ presence in Kosovo institutions to defend their interests and called on everyone to vote for Serb List candidates for councilors in the Vucitrn Municipal Assembly.

“It’s crucial that Serbs are present in Kosovo institutions to defend their interests. We’ve seen that Kurti’s government doesn’t respect either laws or the Constitution — they violate everything. The only way to defend Serbian interests is from within those institutions. We, the people from the Vucitrn municipality, have our candidates and will vote for them to ensure that, as before, we have our representatives there,” Kostic said.

He called for unity in the October 12 local elections, saying it is urgently needed to secure a normal life for Serbs who remain in Kosovo.

“I urge all Serbs to go to the polls in large numbers, especially since Kurti has reduced the number of councilors in all municipalities. If we needed 700 votes before, now we’ll need 800. Everyone must understand that unity is absolutely necessary so that we can defend ourselves in Kosovo institutions. You see what’s happening — our people are in prisons, justice doesn’t apply to them — this is the only way to save them and ensure a normal life for us and our children here,” Kostic concluded.

The Serb List candidates for the Vucitrn Municipal Assembly include Stefan Markovic, Spasoje Stefanovic, Stefana Bojkovic, Božidar Aritonovic, Nikola Popovic, Mirjana Nikolic, Radomir Peric, and Danijela Spasic.

Zoran Cirkovic from Staro Gracko, a candidate for councilor in the Lipljan Municipal Assembly, stressed the importance of Serb presence in municipalities with an Albanian majority to fight for better living conditions and help address the problems of the Serbian community.

“We hope for strong voter turnout. We have influence among the people, we help them and try to make life easier not only in this village but also in Lipljan town, since the local elections include both Rabovce and Novo Naselje. I am currently a member of the Committee for Communities, and we really must have a representative there who can work with others to ease the life of all communities — but primarily, we will represent the Serbian community, and I hope that, as councilors, we’ll manage to help our people,” Cirkovic told Kosovo Online.

He said that the security situation in villages around Lipljan is currently calm and praised the work of the Kosovo Police. However, he added that there are many other issues that need attention.

Although Serbia helps the Serbs in all areas, some problems still need to be addressed within the Lipljan Municipality.

“There are many communal problems — electricity, water bills, and so on. We’ve had positive outcomes so far because, according to the Committee, Serbs are the most regular payers for utilities — electricity, water, garbage collection — we’re by far the best and enjoy a certain trust. Whenever there’s an urgent issue, we contact them and they respond. That cooperation is very important. The Republic of Serbia helps us in every area, but these local issues must be solved within the Municipality of Lipljan,” he added.

He stressed the importance of everyone voting on October 12 and supporting their candidacy. He also called on displaced persons with voting rights to participate and help the Serbs who remain in Lipljan.

“Minorities can also get positions such as deputy chairperson or councilor, which would be a great success for our community. But voter turnout must be good. It would be beneficial for voters from Serbia who have Kosovo IDs and are temporarily displaced to come and vote in their polling stations in Staro Gracko, Rabovce, and Lipljan,” Cirkovic urged.

He concluded that their candidacy does not come at the expense of any other community but is aimed at helping Serbs.

“All our plans point toward success, which would mean a lot for our community — not to the detriment of any other community, not even the Albanian one — but our struggle is rightly focused on helping our people solve their problems,” Cirkovic concluded.

The Serb List in Lipljan has three candidates for the Municipal Assembly in the October 12 elections — Zoran Cirkovic, Anastasija Miljkovic, and Zoran Spasic.