UPDATE - Kosovo election commission bans ethnic Serb party from parliamentary elections

ADDS REACTIONS FROM WESTERN COUNTRIES' ENVOYS IN KOSOVO AND SERBIA

By Talha Ozturk

SARAJEVO, Bosnia Herzegovina (AA) - Kosovo's Central Election Commission (CEC) decided Monday to bar the main ethnic Serb party from competing in parliamentary elections set for Feb. 9.

The commission declined to certify Serbian List, citing nationalist remarks by its leader, Zlatan Elek.

Elek said "Long live Serbia" when presenting the party’s candidates.

Serbian List had been expected to win all 10 reserved seats for Serb representatives.

The commission certified 16 out of 17 political entities on the list and 674 candidates for members of parliament.

Kreshnik Radoniqi, the commission’s chairman, voted to confirm Serbian List, while Sami Kurteshi and Alban Krasniqi from the Self-determination Movement voted against it and the other commission members abstained.

Kurteshi said he voted against certifying Serbian List after it released an audio recording of Elek speaking against the Republic of Kosovo.

Western countries such as Germany and the US along with the European Union expressed concern after the commission’s decision.
''I share the EU and US’s concern regarding the non-certification of Srpska Lista (Serbian List). Equal application of the law to everyone is essential. The certification process is a strictly formal procedure that should not be politicized,'' said German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo urged the commission to uphold the integrity of Kosovo’s electoral process.

''The certification process is a procedural matter that underpins democratic elections and should be free from political considerations. We urge the CEC to uphold the integrity of Kosovo’s electoral process and ensure that subsequent steps are inclusive and consistent with democratic principles,'' said the statement.

Petar Petkovic, the director of Serbia's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, told the media that Albanian Prime Minister Albin Kurti knows very well that he cannot defeat Serbian List in the elections.

“Albin Kurti's attempt to illegally prohibit the participation of Serbian List in the upcoming elections is the best indicator of how much Pristina and its henchmen are afraid of Serbian unity and harmony as well as the strength of the candidates of Serbian List. They know very well in Pristina that they cannot beat Srpska Lista, so they want to ban it,” said Petkovic.

In a phone call Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he told him of Kosovo's intention to ban Serbian List from participating in the elections.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and views it as part of Serbia.

Kosovo on Feb. 9 will hold its first regular parliamentary elections since declaring its independence from Serbia in 2008.

Kosovo also has an ethnic Serb minority, particularly in northern Kosovo near the border with Serbia. The area has seen ethnic unrest in recent years.