German Embassy: Refusing to verify the Serb List and its candidates negatively affects Kosovo’s international reputation

Reacting to the fact that the Central Election Commission did not certify the Serb List candidates for participation in the early parliamentary elections, the German Embassy in Pristina stated in its response to Kosovo Online that the electoral process and the technical preparations for the elections must be free of political maneuvers by political actors.

In response to Kosovo Online’s request to comment on the CEC decision, the German Embassy also highlights the obstructive behavior of certain members of the Central Election Commission.

“As we stated last week, the electoral process and the technical preparations for the elections must be free of political maneuvers by political actors. The obstructive behavior of certain members of the Central Election Commission who refuse to verify the Serb List and its candidates negatively affects Kosovo’s international reputation and its path toward European integration,” the Embassy said.

Let us recall that two CEC members from the ranks of Self-Determination – Sami Kurteshi and Alban Krasniqi – voted against the certification of the Serb List candidates, while six members abstained and three voted in favor.

On 5 December, the Serb List announced that the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel had upheld their appeal against the previous decision of the Central Election Commission not to allow them to participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 December.

“We inform the public that we have been officially notified that the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel has upheld our appeal submitted against the illegal decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC), through which the regime in Pristina attempted to ban our participation in the elections and the right of the Serbian people to choose their representatives,” the Serb List said.

Three days after the decision of the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel, the Serb List submitted to the Central Election Commission its list of candidates for the early parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 December.

The head of the list is the party’s president, Prof. Dr. Zlatan Elek, and it consists of 33 candidates.