UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, February 11, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Hamza: No coalition with Vetevendosje, we’ll form govt voted by people (media)
CEC latest figures on election results (media)
Counting of votes for candidates for MPs begins on Tuesday (media)
DiA: System's malfunction on election day has faded citizens' trust in CEC (Koha)
PACE delegation: Elections were inclusive and peaceful (media)
Socialist International congratulates Kurti on winning the elections (media)
Turkish Embassy in Kosovo reacts to Damka's arrest (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: Serbian List’s victory demonstrates responsible and serious approach of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Petkovic congratulates Serbian List on election victory (Radio KIM)
Results of voting in Mitrovica North published (Radio KIM)
Marinkovic: Opposition coalition likely as Kosovo faces post-election uncertainty (KoSSev)
Djuric attends Friends of Western Balkans meeting in Rome (media)
Djuric met Kallas and Kos (Kosovo Online)
Vucic: I am always for dialogue, that is why I am offering it (Tanjug)

International Media:

Kosovo election leaves PM Kurti needing partners to govern (Balkan Insight)
Preliminary election results 2025: in context (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Hamza: No coalition with Vetevendosje, we’ll form govt voted by people (media)

Candidate for Prime Minister from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Bedri Hamza, told a press conference in Pristina on Monday that the Albanian majority as he said turned their backs on the Kurti-led Vetevendosje Movement and that the opposition has won the people’s trust to form the new government. He said that the PDK would not even consider a possible coalition with Vetevendosje. “As the biggest opposition party, the PDK will act responsibly and respect the will of the Albanian majority for change. We will enter a coalition with the Vetevendosje Movement. We have major differences. They want absolute power; they don’t have a program and they did not face us during the campaign. They insulted their political opponents and the people. They incited hatred, while we called for unity and cooperation,” he argued.

Hamza said that Sunday’s parliamentary elections clearly showed the will for change and that the PDK will work to form a government that reflects this will.

Hamza also said that they will win for the winning party to try and form the new government, and if they fail, then the opposition will lead the new government. “We will work to give the people the government they voted for and keep our promise to make Kosovo better,” he said.

CEC latest figures on election results (media)

Kosovo's Central Election Commission (CEC) published on Monday the preliminary results of Sunday's elections, after processing votes from around 98.97 percent of polling stations. According to the figures, the Vetevendosje Movement leads with 40.81 percent of the votes or 338 thousand 948 votes. PDK is in second place with 22.16 percent of the votes or 184 thousand 040 votes. While LDK is third with 17.60 percent of the votes or 146 thousand 147 votes. The AAK-Nisma-Conservatives and Intellectuals coalition is in fourth place with 7.46 percent of the votes or 61 thousand 968 votes. Conditional and diaspora votes have not yet been processed

Counting of votes for candidates for MPs begins on Tuesday (media)

Kosovo's Central Election Commission said on Monday that the process of counting votes for candidates for MPs will begin on Tuesday (February 11). “We inform you that the process of counting votes for candidates for MPs will begin on Tuesday, in the Municipal Counting Centers. We clarify that during this process, as provided for in the CEC Electoral Regulation 16/2024 for Municipal Counting Centers, the verification of the results of political entities will be carried out,” a CEC statement notes. "After the completion of these procedures, the counting of votes outside Kosovo, conditional votes, votes of persons with special needs and other aspects provided for by the Law on General Elections, the CEC will announce the final results for political entities and candidates for MPs".

DiA: System's malfunction on election day has faded citizens' trust in CEC (Koha)

The coalition of non-governmental organizations, Democracy in Action told a press conference on Monday that the CEC's malfunction on election day has eroded citizens' trust in this institution. Eugen Cakolli, from this coalition, said that despite some violations, the February 9 election process was generally conducted in accordance with democratic standards.

"However, after a good election day that was accompanied by high citizen interest and was conducted in a democratic spirit, due to technical problems in the electronic system for publishing results by the CEC, a few hours after the closing of the voting centers, DiA considers that this development has eroded public trust in both the election results and the work of the CEC," Cakolli said. According to him, doubts regarding the security and integrity of this electoral process have also been raised by the failures and problems related to the transportation of diaspora votes.

PACE delegation: Elections were inclusive and peaceful (media)

The head of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Petra Bayr, said on Monday in Pristina that the February 9 parliamentary elections were inclusive and peaceful. “These elections presented a pluralistic and a dynamic political landscape of 28 competing lists representing both majority and non-majority communities. The elections were held in accordance with the law of 2023, which provides a legal framework, and we take into account the law that provides transparency,” she said.

Bayr said that the delegation observed that the election campaign was mainly calm but with harsh rhetoric. “Our delegation observed that the campaign was generally calm despite polarization and inflammatory rhetoric reported to ECAP,” she added.

Socialist International congratulates Kurti on winning the elections (media)

Several news websites report that Pedro Sanchez, President of the Socialist International, congratulated Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the Vetevendosje Movement on winning the parliamentary elections. “The result is a testament to the trust and the confidence the people of Kosovo have placed in your leadership and vision for the future. As you continue your work to strengthen democracy, social justice, and economic progress, I wish you every success and I trust that you will soon be able to formally establish a government. The Socialist International remains committed to supporting Kosovo on this path and looks forward to our continued collaboration,” Sanchez said.

Turkish Embassy in Kosovo reacts to Damka's arrest (Koha)

The Turkish Embassy in Kosovo has reacted to the arrest of the outgoing Minister for Regional Development, Fikrim Damka. Damka was arrested on Sunday along with a family member, on suspicion of "assault" and "intimidation". "We regret to learn that Fikrim Damka, the leader of the KDTP, the oldest party of Kosovo Turks, who participated in yesterday's elections in Kosovo, has been detained... In this difficult period, when the world is experiencing numerous crises, it is of great importance that sister Kosovo preserves its stability and Kosovo Turks preserve their unity and common sense. Turkey will always continue to stand by Kosovo," the embassy said in a statement.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Serbian List’s victory demonstrates responsible and serious approach of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said last night the overwhelming victory of the Serbian List in elections in Kosovo clearly reflects the firm determination of the Serbian people to protect their homes and their reliance on Serbia, Kosovo Online portal reported. In an interview for TV Pink, Vucic said “despite threats, pressure, and brutal attacks, which came not only from Albin Kurti but also from the Quint countries, the Serbian List persevered and managed to secure the strongest trust of the Serbian community”. As he said various efforts were made to prevent the Serbian List from winning all 10 mandates.

He noted that despite the Central Election Commission interrupting the process three times and the lack of vote recounting, he does not anticipate any manipulation of the final outcome, adding that Albanians now have bigger problems of their own, while the victory of the Serbian List remains undisputed.

"I believe this is a great and important victory for Serbia, clearly demonstrating the Serbian people's commitment to protecting their homes, their reliance on Serbia, their belief in having only one homeland, one president, and their unwavering love for their country. They have shown how a nation acts responsibly and seriously. Congratulations to the Serbian List and our people in Kosovo and Metohija", Vucic said.

Asked about the results of the Albanian parties and the fact that Kurti, as it seems, cannot form a government on his own, Vucic said it is best to wait and that he does not want to speculate. "I don’t want to interfere in their internal Albanian relations. Whoever forms a government with Kurti will be politically doomed afterwards. LDK, PDK, Haradinaj - whoever enters a coalition with Kurti will struggle to survive politically. However, nothing should be ruled out", Vucic said. He added he does not wish to make ironic or sarcastic remarks about Kurti's position, as Kurti had done about him in the past.

Petkovic congratulates Serbian List on election victory (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic has congratulated the Serbian List on great electoral success, Radio KIM reported.

"I congratulate the Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija and the Serbian List on their great electoral success, they won with joint forces under the most difficult circumstances thus far, demonstrating significant seriousness and responsibility to show unity, harmony and strength to preserve and defend our national interests in the province at a crucial moment for our survival", Petkovic said in a statement.

He added that "with convincing victory of the Serbian List and winning all guaranteed mandates, the policy of defending the interests of the Serbian people in Kosovo continues". "As well as all financial and other assistance from Belgrade to our people, with whom the state of Serbia, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, stands side by side", Petkovic also said.

Results of voting in Mitrovica North published (Radio KIM)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has published the preliminary results of the elections held on Sunday, including results of voting in Mitrovica North, Radio KIM reported. As Radio KIM said the CEC by 18.00 hrs on Monday has calculated 98.7 percent of votes.

According to Kosovo-wide preliminary results Self-determination won 40.83 percent, PDK 22,05 percent, LDK 17.62 percent, AAK 7.46 percent, Serbian List 4.43 percent and Coalition for Family 2.26 percent. Votes at 2.501 out of 2.533 polling stations have been counted.

In Mitrovica North according to preliminary results Serbian List won 3.901 votes or 55.96 percent. Serbian Democracy won 1.141 votes or 16.37 percent, Self-determination won 883 votes or 12.67 percent, PDK won 282 votes or 4.05 percent, Serbian People’s Movement won 222 votes or 3.18 percent and For Freedom, Democracy and Survival won 146 votes or 2.09 percent.

Marinkovic: Opposition coalition likely as Kosovo faces post-election uncertainty (KoSSev)

Kosovo parliamentary elections held on Sunday marked the first regular elections since the unilateral declaration of independence in 2008. However, over 21 hours after the polls closed, no official preliminary results have been released, KoSSev portal reported. The portal added the lack of results is particularly evident in North Mitrovica, where only 12% of the votes have been processed from three out of 24 polling stations. Despite the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) claims about “smart elections“ and the implementation of a new electoral law, the voting process was fraught with delays and technical failures. The CEC’s online system even crashed at the end of the voting day.

Allegations of manipulation and technical failures

Ilir Deda, a political analyst from Pristina, did not mince words when commenting on the situation: “This was deliberate. There’s no doubt about it”, he said. Miodrag Marinkovic, Executive Director of the NGO CASA, echoed similar sentiments, pointing out that the election process reflects the approach of Albin Kurti’s government.

“The election process we witnessed yesterday mirrors the nature of Kurti’s administration - legal manipulation, system circumvention, and improvisation aimed at excluding the Serbian community from political processes”, Marinkovic said.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/Er1wq

Djuric attends Friends of Western Balkans meeting in Rome (media)

Addressing a ministerial meeting of the Friends of Western Balkans group in Rome, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric pointed out the importance of global and regional initiatives and Serbia's commitment to the EU integration process, noting that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue remained Serbia's main challenge.

He said Serbia had also assumed the Central European Initiative presidency this year and noted that the presidency would be used to encourage regional connectivity and boost infrastructure. As one of the successes achieved by Serbia, Djuric highlighted the country's aspiration to lead economic growth in the region and noted that the dialogue with Pristina remained the main challenge for Belgrade.

"We welcome the appointment of (EU Special Envoy) Peter Sorensen, whose role we will strongly support. In the coming days, I will also meet with him to try to encourage an approach focusing on trust-building measures. I believe we can strengthen the work on implementation of agreements reached to date and other commitments, while also finding something new that would be beneficial to both sides", Djuric noted.

Djuric met Kallas and Kos (Kosovo Online)

On the sidelines of the Friends of the Western Balkans group ministerial meeting Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric held separate meetings with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, Kosovo Online portal reported.

In the conversation with Kallas, Djuric thanked her for her willingness to personally engage in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and her desire to assist in the process of normalizing relations, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The head of Serbian diplomacy reiterated that full EU membership is the foreign policy priority of Serbia, which he emphasized is a credible EU partner committed to deepening overall cooperation with the Union.

At the meeting with Kos, Djuric expressed satisfaction that a person with significant experience, who can understand the efforts Serbia is making on its European path, is responsible for a field of great importance to Serbia. The minister reiterated that EU membership is a strategic commitment and a priority of Serbia's foreign policy, and that the country has set itself the ambitious task of implementing all necessary reforms required for accession to the European Union by the end of 2026, the portal added.

Vucic: I am always for dialogue, that is why I am offering it (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday he was always for dialogue and that having discussions was healing, important and beneficial. Vucic said this in a video posted on his official Instagram account, in which he responded to questions and comments from people, Tanjug news agency reported.

"I am very focused and committed to discussions and to dialogue with people - that is why I am offering it. I am responding to people, I want to speak with you, and I want to hear your opinions and stances", Vucic said.

Asked which of the new factories in Serbia he would work at if he had to, Vucic said there were many wonderful modern factories, run by companies such as ZF, Brose, Continental and Bosch, and that he was unable to tell which one was more beautiful. "The factories are wondrous, so it is all the same - what matters is that one does what they want and that they are satisfied", Vucic said.

International Media

Kosovo election leaves PM Kurti needing partners to govern (Balkan Insight)

Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje won again, but Sunday’s election in Kosovo left him short of a majority to govern alone.

Kosovo woke up on Monday facing more political questions than answers following a parliamentary election that left Prime Minister Albin Kurti needing partners if he is to stay in power.

With almost all votes counted, Kurti’s Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party again came first but with a share of the popular vote that shrank to 41 per cent from 50.2 per cent in 2021.