Terzic: It is important for displaced Serbs to heed the appeal of their compatriots and turn out for the elections on Sunday

Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Milos Terzic today called on all internally displaced Serbs from Kosovo who hold Pristina-issued documents to turn out for the elections on Sunday, December 28, and vote for the Serb List, because, as he stressed, it is the only legitimate political structure of the Serbs and its victory institutionally protects the individual and collective rights of the Serbian people.

Terzic told RTS that in central Serbia, after June 1999 and the pogrom of Serbs from Kosovo and the entry of international forces, around 250,000 people live with the status of internally displaced persons, some of whom hold Pristina-issued documents and can exercise their right to vote.

“They can exercise their right to vote, and the essence is to institutionally protect Serbian interests and values in Kosovo and Metohija, which is our most important national issue,” Terzic said.

He emphasized that the only legitimate political structure and force of the Serbian people in Kosovo is precisely the Serb List, and that any potential vote against the Serb List would directly play into the hands of Albin Kurti.

“Only representatives of the Serb List look toward Belgrade, have one president, Aleksandar Vucic, and one capital, Belgrade. That is why it is important for the internally displaced to turn out in as large numbers as possible for the elections on Sunday, because in that way we institutionally defend the individual and collective rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija,” Terzic stressed.

He explained that displaced Serbs can vote if they have a valid personal document issued by Pristina and are entered in the voter register there.

“Everything else is the organization of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia,” Terzic said, adding that by calling the phone number 0800 000-506, all information about organizational details can be obtained, emphasizing that no one will be left on their own.

“We know that people are tired, this is the third election cycle this year, but perhaps Kurti was counting on that, and we must not allow it. We must show Serbian unity and cohesion, for Serbs to turn out en masse and support the Serb List as the only legitimate Serbian force in Kosovo and Metohija,” Terzic underlined.

He added that the political and security situation in Kosovo is challenging, which, he says, is no secret, given that since 2021 and Kurti’s coming to power in Pristina, more than 700 ethnically motivated attacks against Serbs have been recorded, including attacks on Serbian children, churches and monasteries, institutions, along with arbitrary arrests.

“But during the previous two election cycles, we carried everything out properly. The international factor also plays a role in this, and we appeal to it to ensure that everything proceeds properly. On our side, as far as the displaced are concerned, it is necessary to be calm and dignified. There were no problems during the previous two election cycles, and I am sure there will be no problems now either. There are clear channels of communication and support,” Terzic said.

He expressed the expectation that Serbs will turn out en masse for the elections on Sunday and that internally displaced persons will heed the appeal of their compatriots from Kosovo and support the Serb List.

“It is important for Serbs to turn out in large numbers so that the scenario from February does not repeat itself, when Kurti stole one mandate from the Serb List and brought into parliament so-called ‘Kurti’s Serbs’, that is, those for whom it has been proven that they bought votes and used manipulative actions to harm Serbian national electoral interests. Above all, we are referring to the list of Nenad Rasic,” Terzic said.

He stated that Serb turnout is also important in order to stop the institutional pressure and terror that Serbs have been enduring for four years.

“It is important to protect our municipalities in the south, to continue working and building in the municipalities that have been liberated in the north, and to preserve the ‘double key’ mechanism, which prevents anti-Serb decisions from being implemented and adopted in the parliament in Pristina under Kurti’s patronage,” Terzic noted.

He recalled that the Self-Determination movement’s program states that their goal is the creation of a “Greater Albania,” the unification of the “two Mitrovicas,” and the abolition of the Serbian language as an official language in Kosovo.

“All of this must be prevented. We must have a united national corpus, the Serb List must have 10 seats in parliament, and then no decisions can be made without the Serbian factor,” Terzic underlined.

He warned that low turnout could lead precisely to a repetition of the February scenario, that through theft and electoral manipulation the Albanian factor, with, as he said, the tacit support of some international centers of power, would influence the entry into parliament of “Kurti’s Serbs,” who look toward Pristina rather than Belgrade.

“That is why it is important for us to be united and cohesive in the elections on Sunday and for neither the June scenario to be repeated, when certain individuals, while Serbs were fighting to protect the Serbian flag in Gracanica, tried to provoke Serbs to turn against Serbs and desecrate Vidovdan. They are trying the same now on Sunday. But I am confident that on December 28 we will rejoice in the mandates won by the Serb List,” Terzic concluded.