Draft Law on General Elections which abolishes the right to vote to Serbs who are on the election tickets but don’t live in Kosovo and probably don’t poses Kosovo documents, will be amended.
Serbs who don’t have Kosovo documents will most probably be allowed to vote on Kosovo general elections, learned Belgrade-based Politika. “In the end, the compromise will be reached over that issue in order that they would be able to vote. I spoke over that issue with those who are involved in discussions over it in behalf of the Serbian community in the Kosovo government,” said political analyst Dusan Janjic.
He claims that the draft law, which was adopted in the Kosovo parliament after first reading, and which waves away the right to vote to Kosovo Serbs without Kosovo documents – what prompted boycott of the Kosovo parliament by Serbian MPs, and led employees in the Kosovo municipalities with majority Serbian population to stage protests – will be amended.
Even though it was earlier announced by Pristina that the law will abolish reserved seats for Serbs, Janjic explained that the law, for which possibility for submission of amendments still exists in next two weeks – is not regulating that issue. Before the declaration of independence and adoption of the Constitution in 2012, those seats were provided to Serbs. However, those seats were abolished by the Kosovo Constitution.
Beta agency carried that according to the European Union Special Representative to Kosovo Samuel Zbogar, minorities’ representatives in the Kosovo parliament, with whom he discussed the issue, said that they are not able to provide two-thirds majority needed for the amendment of the Kosovo Constitution with regards to providing reserved seats.
“It is hard to expect that the issue can be resolved without meeting Catherine Ashton and without a separate agreement arguing that this is first time that Serbs are taking part in elections and that they need positive discrimination in the parliament,” said Janjic. He went on to say that the issue of reserved seats for Serbs should’ve been a ‘package’ in Brussels’ talks, along with local elections, what failed to be included accordingly.
How could Serbs get more seats in Kosovo parliament? Janjic is of the opinion that solution is in participation in elections, a single Serbian list and coordinated messages. He went on to say that if the battle would be won over the conditional voting for those who are on the elections tickets and don’t live in Kosovo, and who most probably don’t poses Kosovo documents, it would then be up to politicians in Kosovo to agree on participating in elections with maximum two tickets. Another thing, according to Janjic, is that things must be carried out in different fashion by Belgrade too, in order that Serbs are motivated to participate and not to be de-motivated as was the case in local elections. He reminded that only 24.000 Serbs turned out on last local elections.
“Belgrade’s efforts and cooperation between all Serbian parties might attract around 83.000 voters, what would mean around ten seats in the parliament,” said Janjic and added that he believes that elections can’t take place on 25 May, but in June, July or September, meaning that Serbian government still have the time to open the discussion over the issue with Ashton.
