Elek: Kurti builds his political rating through violence against Serbs, local elections are crucial for the Serbian people

President of the Serb List, Zlatan Elek, emphasized that Albin Kurti builds his political rating through violence against Serbs and that attempts to obstruct the Serb List ahead of local elections will continue, but that this will not discourage them, as they remain determined to fight for the rights of the Serbian people. Elek stressed that, above all, they expect the support of the Serbian people because, as he noted, only they know what it is like to live “under the oppression of Pristina.”

Elek told RTS that the political campaign for the local elections in Kosovo has not even officially begun, yet an explosive device was thrown at the car of the Serb List’s mayoral candidate in Zubin Potok.

“All of this has been accompanied by systematic attempts by Albin Kurti to undermine the Serb List and prevent it from participating in these elections. Since he did not succeed in that, we are entering the political struggle for the rights of the Serbian people even more strongly and courageously. The fact is—and what we all fear—is that we do not know what might come to Kurti’s mind during this campaign. But what our people need to know is that we will certainly not be discouraged and that we are firmly determined to persevere in the fight for the rights of the Serbian people here in Kosovo and Metohija,” Elek underscored.

He noted that elections are scheduled for October 12, with the campaign officially starting on September 13, but that Kurti has effectively been in campaign mode for four years, building his political rating through violence against Serbs.

“He has deprived us of the right to work, the right to freedom of movement, freedom of speech, the use of our Serbian script, the right to vote, to security... And we must all agree that this is not a political campaign, but rather the daily persecution of the Serbian people here in Kosovo and Metohija,” the Serb List president stressed.

Elek underlined that obstruction of the elections will happen, but that this will not discourage the Serb List.

“These are crucial and the most important elections in Kosovo, especially for the Serbs here. Since Kurti came to power, they have been subjected to police brutality, political persecution, economic pressure, and people live practically in daily fear. That is why it is essential that we remain united and cohesive, because only unity and solidarity are the key to success, enabling us to change the everyday reality in which we suffer—as everyone can see—and surely they will allow us to secure political representatives, as we did in the parliamentary elections,” he said.

The president of the Serb List pointed out that they above all expect the support of their people, who know what it is like to live “under the oppression of Pristina.”

“At this moment, our people are our greatest strength, our energy, and our guarantee that we can withstand all the pressures we face here. Of course, the support of the international community would be welcome, but based on experience we know that only united and cohesive can we achieve fair elections. Our only real support at this time is our people and our state of Serbia,” Elek emphasized.

Speaking about the detention of two minors because of slogans on their T-shirts, Elek recalled that last school year ended with the drowning of a boy in North Mitrovica and stressed that this violence is not coincidental but is systematically carried out by Albin Kurti.

“They were detained in front of their friends, without the presence of parents or lawyers, which they had the right to. This is the best indicator that this violence is not accidental but systematically enforced by Kurti. As a political party, we are trying to draw the attention of the international community to the problems of the Serbian people and provide them with legal and material support. However, what worries us is that there is hardly any institution in Kosovo that is not involved in the mistreatment of Serbs, including the police and the authorities,” concluded the president of the Serb List.