Elek: The June 7 elections are a fight for the survival of Serbs, unity is key to winning all ten mandates

Serb List President Zlatan Elek said that the June 7 elections represent a fight for the survival and continued presence of the Serbian people in Kosovo and stressed that unity is crucial for the Serbian community to win all ten mandates allocated to it. Elek assessed that Serbs in Kosovo are exposed to constant pressure and institutional discrimination, but emphasized that the Serb List will continue to fight to preserve Serbian institutions and the electoral will of the citizens.

Elek recalled that in the previous parliamentary elections, the Serb List won a vast majority of votes in all ten Serbian municipalities in Kosovo.

“That speaks clearly enough about the will of the Serbian people and the support for the Serb List. I am confident that our people are politically wise and responsible and that they understand this is much more than an ordinary election. This is a fight for our survival and continued presence in these areas, for our institutions, for the right to remain and fight on our ancestral land. I expect the Serb List to be even stronger in the upcoming June 7 elections, because only in that way can we protect the interests of the Serbian people in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija,” Elek stressed on RTS News.

Asked how to achieve unity and cohesion among the Serbian people on election day, Elek responded that this is the only way to secure all ten mandates belonging to the Serbian community.

“The Serb List always insists on the unity and cohesion of the Serbian people in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, because we believe that only if we are united can we win all 10 mandates. That is why it is important that on June 7 we go to the polling stations in as large numbers as possible, that we do not waste votes and that we do not support Kurti’s satellites,” he said.

Elek emphasized that he understands the fatigue among citizens because they have gone through several election processes, as well as, as he said, difficult months and years during which enormous pressure has been exerted on the Serbian people.

He pointed out that candidates for the upcoming elections will be defined at today’s meeting of the party presidency.

“Terror, the arrest of Serbs without any basis, all with the aim of weakening the political power of Serbs and the Serb List and abolishing all Serbian institutions in Kosovo. You know very well that the Serb List is the only one that has the support of the Serbian state and President Aleksandar Vucic and that it fights for the interests of every Serb, regardless of where they live in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. What is important is that the Serb List will hold a Presidency meeting today, where we will define our candidates for the upcoming June 7 elections. I hope that this time as well they will be the best candidates, professionally accomplished and politically experienced people who have represented the views of the Serbian people both in Pristina and in the Kosovo Assembly,” the SL president stated.

Elek added that the Serb List has once again been denied members in certain municipal election commissions and does not have its representatives in important municipalities where the Serbian population lives, which, in his opinion, calls into question the regularity of the electoral process.

“Unfortunately, what we warned international officials about is happening – institutional discrimination against the Serbian people and the Serb List. Until now we were able to monitor 18 polling locations, and now, unfortunately, only 14. This is proof that certain centers of power in Pristina want to weaken the Serb List and the Serbian people, which calls into question the regularity and the entire democratic electoral process. Regardless of all the obstructions, the Serb List will fight for every vote of every Serb in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, and we will preserve the electoral will of our citizens,” he said.

He stressed that Serbs in Kosovo live in extremely difficult conditions, under constant pressure from the authorities in Pristina.

“The task of the Serb List, as the most serious and largest political party of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, is to always stand by its people and provide every kind of institutional, legal, and any other support. The key to survival is to remain united and cohesive, to have strong support from the Serbian state and to preserve our healthcare and education institutions, as well as to fight for every job position under the authority of the Serbian state,” he added.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced new investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure in Kosovo, as well as the construction of a high-speed road to North Mitrovica, which Elek sees as a major incentive for remaining in Kosovo.

“The support of the Serbian state and President Aleksandar Vucic is of crucial importance for the survival and continued presence of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. Thanks to that support, our institutions, hospitals, and schools have been preserved, new jobs have been created, kindergartens have been renovated... Every new infrastructure project and every new job is a major incentive for the survival and continued presence of our people in Kosovo and Metohija. Such major infrastructure projects, like the high-speed road, give great hope that Serbia is thinking of every citizen in Kosovo and Metohija and provide strong support and encouragement for the survival of our youngest generations here in Kosovo and Metohija,” Elek concluded.