Maliqi: Preventing Serb List's participation is political arbitrariness, populism has broken our neck

Political analyst Agon Maliqi assessed that the CEK's prevention of the Serb List from participating in the elections on February 9th is political arbitrariness and will certainly be contested because it is mandated by legal procedure. He stated that otherwise, in the future, it could be possible to ban any national party, as reported by Ekonomia Online.

"The Serb List will eventually be certified because it is the legal procedure that prevents political arbitrariness. Thank God it is so, because tomorrow the same method could be used against parties of any nationality," said Maliqi.

He reminded that there were similar calls previously in relation to the Self-Determination Movement.

The result will be, he believes, a strengthening of the Serb List's position within the Serbian community.

"As a result of this maneuver, it has been achieved that the Serb List is strengthened in the eyes of Kosovo Serbs as the 'most patriotic' option," Maliqi thinks.

He added that such a situation will serve the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, in finding new arguments for the victimization of the Serbian community in Kosovo in communications with the West.

"Populism has broken our neck, and now it wants to eat our head," Maliqi explained.