Summary of the Week 40

As we count down the days to the end of the year, we reflect on impressions and tally up successes and failures. Before the final reckoning, this December week is summarized in numbers.

The lists have been submitted, marking the beginning of the next stage in the race for one or more of the 120 seats in the Kosovo Assembly. Big numbers are on everyone’s minds, but practical challenges remain significant. Or, as Pristina analyst Afrim Hoti put it: “The situation is complicated. For everyone. Both for those in power and those who aim to seize it.”

Political analyst Ognjen Gogic agrees: “The position of the opposition in Kosovo is not simple.”

The political math for Serbian candidates is full of unknowns. The road to the desired goal is complicated and thorny.

“The essence is that we must secure 10 MPs from the Serbian List,” explained Danijela Nikolic, President of the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, to Kosovo Online about the importance of the number 10 in the upcoming elections.

In the remaining 55 days until the election tally, there will be other numbers and challenges. On a scale of expectations from 1 to 10, it could be said that negotiators heading to Brussels are starting in the negative.

“It is not in Pristina’s political interest to make any concessions to Belgrade,” summarized Stefan Surlic, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences.

The perceived interest, it is assessed, was to go public in the first hours after the explosion in Zubin Potok. Hours have passed, everyone is seeking the truth, yet it remains elusive after 16 days. Lawyer and former military prosecutor Dragan Pasic sees no progress.

“There has been no movement beyond the initial statements from the Pristina authorities,” said Pasic.

Still, some calculations have been made in Pristina and sent to Belgrade via Zagreb. Prime Minister Albin Kurti is summing up.

“For a century and a half, Serbia has experienced only two and a half years of democracy.”

In societies that consider themselves democratic, public communication is constantly improving, and methods for dealing with history and tradition have advanced significantly. This time, two targets were identified—not coincidentally, the monuments of Prince Lazar and Milos Obilic.

“This time, social media channels were used to disseminate suggestions about what should be targeted,” commented historian Luka Jovanovic on the latest TikTok activity.

Even when the target and the shooter are known, the outcome can be unpredictable, as can the punishment. This week’s resolution for the attempted murder on the Bistrica Bridge was three years in prison.