Lacmanovic: A social consensus on Kosovo is necessary, as it is an inevitable topic in the campaign

In the election campaign scheduled for December 17th, the Executive Director of the "Faktor Plus" agency, Predrag Lacmanovic, sees Kosovo as an unavoidable and essential topic because, as he states, according to research, Kosovo is consistently among the top three main issues facing Serbia.

"I believe that Kosovo is an unavoidable topic because it is a part of our country, and there's no need to view it differently. This is not just my opinion but the opinion of the majority of Serbian citizens. I deeply hope and believe that political parties and their leaders, to a greater or lesser extent, are patriotically committed and genuinely consider Kosovo as a part of their country," Lacmanovic stated for Kosovo Online.

As he adds, what differs are the approaches of the parties and their political orientations - whether they are patriotic, pro-European, or pro-democratic. This is what sets them apart.

Lacmanovic believes that hardly any party leaders dare to say the sentence, "Kosovo is independent".

"Some may think that way, but no one explicitly states it. It's a poor approach, the easiest one, to just renounce something, and that's it. But that's not a solution, not only for Serbia as a country but also for the people living there. You should go there, visit the people living there, talk to them, and see the problems they are facing", he adds.

He emphasizes that it's essential to mention Kosovo in the campaign, and no one will be able to avoid this issue and the stance they take on Kosovo.

He points out that there is a problem in expressing their views because, as he indicates, it's easy to criticize and say what has been done in the previous period. Many criticize what has been done so far regarding Kosovo, but Lacmanovic says that criticism is indeed the job of the opposition.

However, he highlights that people should be realistic, and the Kosovo issue is so important that there should be a social consensus on it.

"When it comes to Kosovo, we should all be united, just as if you ask Israelis, 99 percent of them will have the same stance on the issue of Palestine, and if you ask Palestinians, 99 percent, if not 100 percent of them, will have the same stance. Here, we have disunity, and I think it's a curse for this country, and there should be no doubt about the Kosovo issue. I believe that those who present their plans for what they intend to do with Kosovo can gain some extra votes", Lacmanovic says.

He states that he values those who will say they are for an independent Kosovo and who will win 0.5 votes or none at all more than those who think so but speak differently.

He believes that the part of the opposition that has united in the "Serbia Against Violence" coalition will avoid the Kosovo issue because there are different opinions within the coalition on that topic, meaning they do not have a unified stance, which he emphasizes is a complicating factor.

"On the other hand, I think they also don't have the right answers about what to do with Kosovo and how to solve this issue, and I don't think it suits a good portion of their voters because a good number of those who will vote for that coalition and who are strongly opposed to the Government, I mean the citizens, many of them are not in favor of handing Kosovo over", he stated.

Lacmanovic adds that, on the other hand, there is a right wing that is clearer and gaining points on the Kosovo issue.

"They are firmly against any agreements proposed by the EU because, in general, they are unfavorable and unfair, and the ruling coalition is the most realistic, they are at the core of the problem, they are negotiating, talking, and have to weigh how far Serbia can go in the negotiations, what it can offer, how far it can go in concessions without recognizing Kosovo because sometime in the future, in 10, 20, 50 years, some signature, whatever it may be, can be very important", Lacmanovic concluded.