Kostic: It is important for Serbs to be present in Kosovo institutions

The President of the Provisional Authority of the Municipality of Vucitrn, Milan Kostic, stressed that it is very important for Serbs to be present in Kosovo institutions in order to represent the interests of the Serbian people, and called on everyone to vote for the candidates of the Serb List for municipal assembly members in Vucitrn.

The current convocation of the Vucitrn municipal assembly has one Serbian representative, and as Kostic pointed out, it is very important for Serbs living in villages in this municipality to have their own representative in this Kosovo institution.

"It is very important for Serbs to be present in Kosovo institutions and thus defend the interests of Serbs. We have seen that the government led by Kurti ignores both the laws and the Constitution, violating everything, so the only way to defend the interests of Serbs is from within those institutions. As residents of Vucitrn municipality, we have our candidates and we will vote for them so that, as before, we can have our representatives in the Vucitrn municipality," Kostic said.

Kostic called for unity in the upcoming local elections on October 12, which he described as more necessary than ever in order to secure a normal life for Serbs who remain in Kosovo.

"I call on all Serbs to turn out united and in large numbers, bearing in mind that Kurti has reduced the number of assembly members in all municipalities. If we once needed 700 votes for a seat, now we will need 800. I ask everyone to know that it is absolutely necessary for us to be united and gather as many votes as possible so that we can fight within Kosovo’s institutions. You see what is happening to us, we have people in prisons, and justice doesn’t seem to apply to them. This is the only way to save those people and to secure a normal life here for us and our children," Kostic concluded.

Candidate for the Vucitrn municipal assembly, Spasoje Stefanovic, said that having an assembly seat is of great importance for Serbs in the villages of this municipality.

"This year too, in the local elections, the Serb List is participating through its candidates. It is important for us to have our representative in this convocation as well. We have gathered around the Serb List, and under the slogan Together We Can, we are calling on people to go to the polls and support us, so that we can secure a seat that is important for us not only in Priluzje, but also in Gojbulja, Grace, and Banjska," Stefanovic said.

He added that participation in Kosovo’s municipal assembly allows the Serbian voice to be heard.

"The role of an assembly seat is very important. By being present in the assembly, our voice can be heard as we fight for our rights, rights that we can realize through infrastructure investments in the villages, such as building roads, water supply networks, public lighting, sewage systems…," Stefanovic emphasized.

According to him, residents can expect continued institutional efforts after the elections.

"Residents can expect a strong fight through institutions. By electing their representative in the municipal assembly, they can expect the continuity of investments to continue, in infrastructure, as I already mentioned, and hopefully even in job creation. That is why it is important for residents to turn out and support our candidates," he said.

Residents of Priluzje told Kosovo Online that they believe the Serbian assembly member will protect the interests of the Serbian people, but also of the Roma community, which, although numbering nearly 300 people, does not have the right to its own representative in the Vucitrn municipal assembly.

"For the residents of the village of Priluzje in the municipality of Vucitrn, it is very important to have a representative in the assembly, because that ensures the rights of Serbs living here. What we expect most are investments in infrastructure, employment of young people, and so on," one local resident said.

Dzemo Emini, representative of the Roma community in Priluzje, said that the Serbian representative in the previous convocation always supported the Roma community, and he expects the same after the October 12 elections.

"That is very important, because Priluzje is separated from other Serbian areas, and we need someone to represent this community in the Vucitrn municipal assembly. I must say that the promise of the President of the Obilic municipality was fulfilled – asphalt work has begun, 85 meters of sewage network has been built, and public lighting is coming next… Serbian representatives have helped us, and I believe we will have even better cooperation in the period ahead," Emini said.