Panovic: Kosovo is a topic that cannot be ignored in the pre-election campaign

Extraordinary parliamentary elections have been scheduled for December 17, and the campaign will run until December 14. Zoran Panovic, the program director of Demostat, says that although according to public opinion polls, Kosovo is never the primary concern for the citizens of Serbia, it is still a topic that cannot be ignored and represents a "slippery slope" because, as he adds, reality is one thing and emotions are another.

Panovic says for Kosovo Online that when they ask the citizens of Serbia about their top priorities, it is usually issues related to their standard of living, health, and family that rank at the top.

"Kosovo is only the fifth or sixth topic, but this is a deceptive thing – Kosovo carries an exceptionally strong emotional charge for the citizens of Serbia, and when there are crisis situations in Kosovo, such as Banjska, or whenever there is mistreatment of Serbs, Kosovo emotionally comes to the forefront suddenly. Therefore, after Banjska and certain pressures from the EU, Kosovo cannot be a topic that will be ignored," Panovic stated.

He adds that each election participant will try to use this topic in their own way.

In that regard, he notes that the right-wing will try to thoroughly Kosovo-ize its campaign, the pro-European opposition will speak about the failure of Aleksandar Vucic's policies, and Vucic will try to position himself at the center and emphasize that the right-wing is pursuing an adventurous Kosovo policy that is unrealistic and that the pro-European opposition criticizes everything that is necessary and also unnecessary.

"Kosovo will be a kind of manipulative topic, but the problem is that unfortunately, in Serbia, even today, we do not have a national consensus on Kosovo. We have a consensus at the level of emotions that we love Kosovo, that it pains us, but when it comes to real political situations, we are constantly finding fault with each other. I believe that realism regarding Kosovo and creating social consensus is a fundamental necessity for conducting politics," he says.

Stating that there is a significant political division in Serbia – between the government and the opposition, each with its own option, Panovic emphasizes that Kosovo is a continuity.

In that sense, he notes that President Aleksandar Vucic is now facing the same dilemmas and problems that Boris Tadic and Vojislav Kostunica faced.

He adds that Slobodan Milosevic had the worst situation because he had a war, and whether that could have been avoided or not is another issue.

"Tadic also lost Germany's support because of Kosovo. Additionally, today, Vucic is at risk, but Germany does not care much whether it's Vucic or Tadic; they have an agenda related to Kosovo. When it comes to Kosovo, some of our Western partners do not make significant distinctions, and we must always be aware of that. Except for Milosevic, who came to power on the issue of Kosovo and almost fell on the same issue, all the others came to power on different topics," Panovic said.

He concludes that everyone must be aware that this topic will be used in the pre-election campaign and believes that it is a national responsibility to use it with a sober and measured attitude.

Panovic notes that when it comes to the citizens' support for the Kosovo issue, it's a slippery slope because, as he says, reality is one thing and emotions are another.

"It's easy to criticize on the Kosovo subject, but when you ask, 'What's the alternative?' then there's a problem," he adds.

He reminds that Boris Tadic was also criticized on the Kosovo issue, and in that sense, he mentions that the Serbian Progressive Party reached the Brussels Agreement, which provided Serbia with ten years of peace and investment, and points out that the agreement was not respected.

"The Community of Serb Municipalities is a fundamental issue; it's a matter of the essential autonomy of Serbs in Kosovo. Vucic has never talked about maximalist goals, that Kosovo will be fully returned," Panovi says and mentions that he analyzed how many times Vucic mentioned Kacanik - a place in Kosovo that is entirely Albanian, and how Serbia could regain full sovereignty in Kacanik.

He points out that caution is needed and that in these continuities of pressure regarding the Kosovo issue, it should be recognized that, regardless of who is in power in Serbia tomorrow, and even if they improve media conditions, reduce corruption, and enhance the rule of law, Kosovo will remain in the same status for Western states as it has been for the past twenty years or more, since this ongoing crisis.

"There should be no illusions because Kosovo is a chronic problem that has lasted for decades, and one engineering is not enough to pack a problem of this genesis into the context of the Ukrainian war," Panovic concluded.