Elek: Discriminatory Decision of the CEC, Serb List will take all steps to ensure candidates are certified

President of the Serb List Zlatan Elek stated today that the decision of the Central Election Commission of Kosovo to refuse certification of the party’s candidates for the upcoming local elections constitutes a discriminatory and unlawful act, announcing that the Serb List will take all necessary steps to ensure that its mayoral and councilor candidates are certified.

At an extraordinary press conference, Elek recalled that the Office for the Registration, Certification, and Financial Control of Political Entities had, on August 20, recommended certification of Serb List candidates to the CEC, but that the CEC had rejected this recommendation.

Presenting documents, he underlined that it was established that the Serb List had duly carried out all required pre-election procedures necessary for candidate verification.

He also stressed that none of the candidates had been deprived of their right to run by a court decision, nor had any outstanding penalties owed to competent institutions.

“In the past two years, the Serb List has been subjected to rigorous financial controls and is ranked among the top three in compliance, while Self-Determination is at the bottom of the list regarding adherence to legal norms,” Elek emphasized.

Yesterday, the CEC, with two votes in favor, two against, and seven abstentions, refused to certify the Serb List for participation in the autumn local elections. Voting in favor were the CEC President Kreshnik Radonici and the Serb List representative, while two Self-Determination members opposed and members from other parties abstained.

Elek noted the paradox of a CEC debate in which Serb List candidates were unjustly labeled as terrorists and “wanted persons.”

He stressed that these were “brutal lies,” part of a familiar narrative to which, he warned, not only the Serbian people but also representatives of the international community have become accustomed—something he described as dangerous.

“We have repeatedly said, both in meetings with the media and with international representatives, that anemic statements will not help. Clearly, the electoral result of the Serb List has bothered someone, as votes had to be counted for a month until a position was found for Kurti’s protégé. What especially concerns us is the need for clear messages from the international community if they want to stop Kurti’s unilateral escalatory moves,” he underlined.

He added that it is obvious Kurti and his CEC member Alban Krasniqi—husband of Albulena Haxhiu—cannot forgive the Serb List for blocking Haxhiu’s election as Speaker of Parliament.

“This was done for cheap political points. We will take all legal steps to ensure certification of our candidates,” Elek stated.

He stressed that citizens trust the Serb List, which stands on one side, while other parties support Kurti.

“I call on citizens to remain united, wise, and to know in advance whom to entrust their vote in the upcoming elections,” Elek said.

He also accused Kurti of “placing targets” on political entities, particularly the Serb List:

“We have witnessed an explosive device thrown at the printing shop of our candidate for mayor of Zubin Potok, Miloš Perovic. This morning, the vehicle of our candidate for councilor in Zvečan, Časlav Sofronijevic, was set on fire. So far, we have heard no condemnation from the international community, nor seen action from competent authorities to identify the perpetrators. The Serb List and Serbs are always the scapegoats. Clearly, what pains Kurti is our unity and our result in the parliamentary elections, where citizens’ support for the Serb List was evident,” Elek said.

He assured citizens that Kurti will not prevent the Serb List from fighting for the Serbian people and urged them to remember who is being prevented from running in elections and who is approved.

“Whenever Kurti attacks us, you can be sure that the Serb List is on the right path,” Elek stressed.

Vice President of the Serb List Igor Simic announced that an appeal would be filed with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP).

“We had the same situation during the parliamentary elections, when the CEC made a political, rather than a legal, decision. This only confirms that the CEC is not an independent institution but is under the influence of Kurti’s regime. Along with the appeal, we will present all evidence showing that our candidates have fulfilled every legal requirement to appear on the ballots,” Simic stated.

He pointed out that, in previous elections, the deadline for filing appeals was 48 hours, but that this time it had been changed.

“We received the CEC’s decision last night at 20:17 and were given 24 hours to respond. We will file the appeal on time with all necessary documentation,” Simic emphasized.

As a lawyer, however, he noted that the most difficult question remains whether anything in Kosovo can be judged by legal standards, given that “people are arrested and convicted without evidence, so why should something not also be blocked administratively?”

Asked whether the Serb List would sue over accusations voiced during the CEC session that it is a terrorist organization, Simic said the legal team is already considering options.

“At the CEC session, Albulena Haxhiu’s husband uttered so many lies and insults that it was unacceptable. On the other hand, given what is happening to the Serbian people—arrests without evidence, with no reaction from anyone—it raises the question of whether legal recourse is possible at all,” he remarked.

He recalled that Self-Determination had also used every mechanism to try to prevent the Serb List’s participation in the last elections.

“We have no doubt Kurti will try everything again, even to drag out vote counting for months after the elections, simply to prevent those elected by the citizens from taking their seats, as part of his plan of institutional expulsion in the north,” Simic said.

He also recalled the use of explosives against the property of Serb List candidates, noting that in less serious incidents there had been prompt international reaction, while now there is silence—even calls on institutions to act are missing.

“The campaign has not even officially begun, and that is what worries us and the entire Serbian people. These unacceptable acts endanger the peace and security of citizens and undermine the democratic process. When we began the last campaign, we had an incident in Gorazdevac when the Serbian flag was removed from a memorial to Serbian victims. The same thing happened yesterday—the flag was taken down again. We will make sure it is returned to its rightful place, while it is the duty of the police, EULEX, and KFOR to ensure peace and security for all citizens, including Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” he stated.

Asked what would happen if the Serb List’s appeal were rejected, Simic underlined that such an outcome would be scandalous.

He stressed that ECAP is composed of judges who must deal solely with legal matters:

“If they rule against our appeal, they will be ruling against themselves, and that would only confirm the kind of system in which Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija live. This is not just an attack on 250 Serb List candidates but on the entire Serbian people, who believe they have the right to live in peace, to be elected, and to vote,” Simic said.

He added that weak statements and warnings from the international community over the past three years have had no effect, and that visits by senior foreign officials with calls to end escalatory measures have not changed realities on the ground.

He reminded that even after the recent visit of a senior U.S. State Department official and his warning against unilateral escalatory measures, such as the construction of new bridges, Kurti continued with his “ethnic cleansing plan.”

“Since that visit, several Serbs have been arrested and convicted—this is the environment in which Serbs live,” Simic stressed.

Commenting on the warning from the U.S. Embassy representative, he said he is eager to see what will follow the CEC’s decision:

“We recall that when the Serb List decided to leave Kosovo’s institutions, international representatives said it was necessary for Serbs to remain within them in order to prosper. Today, we want to fight within the institutions, so we ask—what now? What will you do?” Simic asked.