As many as 62 percent of Serbian citizens believe elections in Kosovo will not significantly affect the flow of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, according to a study by the Factor Plus agency.
According to the same survey, 16 percent of Serbian citizens believe that negotiations will stop completely, 10 percent that it will accelerate and be closer to agreement, while 12 percent said they did not know the answer to this question.
The director of the Factor Plus agency, Vladimir Pejic, tells Belgrade based daily Blic that he does not expect major changes because Albanians in Pristina have a platform, they will not change in the negotiations no matter who is in power.
– Whatever happens, whoever is prime minister and whoever is in power in Kosovo, Albanians will retain maximalist demands and stance in negotiations with Belgrade. No one can change that, no matter who it is – Pejic states. He stresses that this is not the case in Belgrade and that the position on the negotiations could change in the event of a change of government.
Asked before the election whether they will monitor the elections in Kosovo, 32 percent of Serbian citizens said they would do it somewhat, and 30 percent would not because it did not matter to them. 15 percent said they would follow with great care and others would not at all because they did not recognize the election. Eight percent did not respond.
– Much attention has been paid to the Kosovo elections in our media. Two things were important: who would win among the Serbs’ lists and how the Serbs would vote, and the other was who would win power in Pristina. The general impression is that the elections in Kosovo and Metohija did not cause more attention among people in central Serbia. First of all, because they consider Kosovo to be part of Serbia, or because they think that whichever Albanian government is in power, it cannot significantly change the quality of life of Serbs in the province, much better or worse – Pejic stresses.
When it comes to how the election results will affect the lives of Serbs in Kosovo, as many as 74 percent say everything will remain as it was, ten percent say Serbs will be even more vulnerable, only four think they will have better treatment, with 12 percent saying “I don’t know”.
Interestingly, as many as 65 percent of those polled do not know anything about the people who will be in power after the last election.
“Somewhat from the media,” said 24 percent, five know a lot about them, while six percent do not know how much they know.
– Very few people know who will lead the government in Pristina in the coming period and there is no greater interest in the matter. Either because they do not recognize Kosovo, or are not interested, or aware that they have no influence, says Pejic.
Pejic adds that Ramush Haradinaj and Hashim Thaci have been known since the war and that they are exploited names and persons.
– I doubt that anyone could repeat the names in circulation for positions of authority, let alone be familiar with their biographies and work – says Pejic.
When it comes to results achieved by the Serbian List, 48 percent said it would have no significant impact on the lives of Serbs in Kosovo, 31 percent said it would help a better life, and 12 percent said it would strengthen Belgrade’s negotiating position.
Pejic says it is good that Serbs are homogeneous, but also that they can do little with their participation in institutions.
