Pavkovic: Merging elections is Self-Determination’s strategy for victory

Milos Pavkovic, associate of the European Policy Centre from Belgrade, told Kosovo Online that merging the local and extraordinary parliamentary elections in Kosovo would be a strategy by Self-Determination to secure victory, but it is still too early to predict how voters will behave at the local level.

“There’s still quite some time until the local elections, October 12 is far off, so the campaign is just beginning, and anything can happen. This situation will definitely influence voters. Although voters are used to this kind of rhetoric and political bargaining, Kosovo is facing a political crisis, not only the inability to form a government, but also to constitute the parliament. It is a political, even constitutional, crisis that will certainly impact the voters,” Pavkovic said.

He added that it is too early to predict how the crisis will affect voters, as there is still a lot of time left in the campaign.

“At this moment, any scenario is possible. Voters might punish the ruling party in the local elections by voting for the opposition, or perhaps they might punish the opposition, causing it to lose some of the support it gained in the parliamentary elections. It is too early to tell. For now, both possibilities are in play, and of course, the dynamics of the campaign and developments in both the Constitutional Court and Parliament will continue to influence voters and shape their decisions in the local elections,” the analyst said.

If what Self-Determination is hinting at, that elections at both levels might be held on the same day, comes to pass, Pavkovic says this would clearly be a strategic move.

“Merging elections, especially for the party in power, creates a kind of referendum-like atmosphere, votes spill over, meaning people vote strategically. In that sense, Self-Determination increases its chances of winning in more municipalities or cities. This isn’t unique to Kosovo, we have seen similar cases in other countries. It has often happened in Serbia as well. So, this is clearly a strategy by the ruling party. Whether it results in a favorable outcome will depend on the dynamics of the campaign and on whether snap parliamentary elections actually take place at all,” Pavkovic emphasized.