Radosavljevic: Good election results brought optimism, but there will be many obstacles

The executive director of New Social Initiative, Jovana Radosavljevic, said that the results of the local elections in Kosovo have brought a wave of optimism among Serbs, but noted that there are still many uncertainties. She assessed that the new local authorities will face numerous obstacles from the central government in Pristina, RTS reports.

In the local elections held on October 12, the Serb List won mayoral positions in nine out of ten Serb-majority municipalities in the first round, while in one municipality, Klokot, its candidate will compete in the second round. In all ten municipalities, the Serb List holds a majority in local assemblies.

According to Radosavljevic, the fact that Serbs participated in the local elections and achieved good results has created a certain level of optimism among citizens, but, she added, the situation should still be viewed with caution.

“We are still in a transitional period, the caretaker government in Pristina and at the local level can further complicate the situation. After the elections, we saw that outgoing local administrations, such as in North Mitrovica, are making decisions on land reallocation, while other municipalities are announcing job vacancies,” Radosavljevic pointed out.

She noted that the return of Serbs to local institutions comes with many uncertainties including whether they will have the capacity and authority to bring about change, and how much rules and procedures will be respected.

She expects obstacles to come from the central government as well, particularly regarding cooperation with the Kosovo Police.

“The key issue for the Serbian community is the reintegration of the judiciary and the police. Pristina’s position is clear, it does not want to discuss the return of previously integrated officers but only new recruitment, which is unacceptable for Kosovo Serbs. It is hard to imagine that this will change,” Radosavljevic told RTS.

Commenting on yesterday’s United Nations Security Council session, Radosavljevic noted that the European representative called on Belgrade to prosecute those responsible for Banjska, while Pristina was urged to take concrete steps toward reintegrating Serbs into institutions and to stop unilateral actions.

“The UN Security Council is a very important platform for raising key issues, but its effects are not visible. The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina practically does not exist, Pristina does not have an official negotiator because the government has not yet been formed, and there is no political will for de-escalation or normalization of the situation,” Radosavljevic said.