UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, April 4, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

AAK calls on the Government to urgently review budget (Koha)
Nagavci: Now is not the time for strikes in educational system (Kosovapress)
Police initiates case after shots fired during celebration in Mitrovica North (media)
Latifi: 6,000 addresses of Albanians in Serbia deleted (media)
Kurti: Authors of Bucha massacre to be brought to justice (media)
COVID-19: 27 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Serbia’s Election Commission (RIK): SNS will have 121 parliamentary seats, main opposition 37; Vucic wins (N1, Beta)
Vucic says Serbia moved dramatically to the right (N1)
Ponos: Start of the end for Vucic (N1)
CRTA: The secrecy of the ballot for voters from Kosovo threatened (KiM radio, KoSSev)
Igor Simic: Another victory of a decent Serbia (TV Most)
Subaric: Citizens supported the development and prosperity of Serbia (Kosovo Online)
Radovic: After the celebration in North Mitrovica bullet cases found; the prosecutor ordered an investigation (Kosovo Online)
CRTA: Many irregularities, but no effect on results; Worst damage done before (N1)

Opinion:

Brussels or Moscow – Vucic must decide (DW)

International:

Serbia’s Aleksander Vucic claims re-election victory (AlJazeera)
Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić cruises to reelection (Politico)
Aleksandar Vucic: Serbia's populist leader seeks to extend reign (France24)
Putin’s European allies (The New York Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

Import of wheat from U.S. to cost more (Koha)
EBRD lowers economic growth projections for Western Balkans (RTK)
First Roma mini library opens in Kosovo (Kallxo)
The trials in Kosovo have been going on for more than 10 years (Danas, Beta, KiM radio)
Kosovo NGO Complains of Slow Progress in Prosecuting War Crimes (Prishtina Insight)

Albanian Language Media

AAK calls on the Government to urgently review budget (Koha)

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj called on the Government of Kosovo to urgently perform a revision of the budget due to what he said was the financial crisis that has engulfed Kosovo.

"Prices have gone up, there is an urgent crisis in Kosovo. Based on this, we as AAK urge the Government to carry out a review of the budget. We propose the Government to lay out some instruments and intervene in the financial crisis in the country, on the purchasing power and the crisis that the citizens of the country are facing. Tax on staple food items needs to be lifted, the oil excise tax needs to be assessed because the oil price has an impact on the increase of all other prices," Haradinaj said in a press conference today.

Nagavci: Now is not the time for strikes in educational system (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Arberie Nagavci, said in an interview with the news agency that she doesn’t believe now is a good time for strikes in the educational system. The Union of Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK) has announced they will hold a protest on April 8 demanding from the government that staff in the educational system should get a 100 euro increase in their salaries until the law on wages is adopted in parliament. SBASHK representatives also said that all educational institutions could go on strike after April 20.

Nagavci said the government is working hard and that the strikes and protests are not needed. “Pupils and students have lost a lot of classes, so I believe we have to do our best together with the teaching staff and SBASHK for our children. There is a great need to improve results in the educational system,” she said.

Police initiates case after shots fired during celebration in Mitrovica North (media)

Several news websites reported today that shots were fired by crowds of Serbs in Mitrovica North on Sunday evening as they celebrated the victory of Aleksandar Vucic and his party in the Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections. Kosovo Police said in a statement today that a case of “causing general danger” has been initiated. “There were reports of gatherings of people and a convoy of vehicles, and that pyrotechnics and weapons were used. Police dispersed the crowd and at the site found cartridges of weapons of various types and some boxes of pyrotechnic devices,” Kosovo Police said in a statement. Relevant police units are investigating the case.

Latifi: 6,000 addresses of Albanians in Serbia deleted (media)

Political commentator Blerim Latifi took to Facebook to say that 6,000 Albanians from Presevo Valley did not take part in Serbian elections on Sunday because their addresses were deleted from civil registers. According to Latifi, “the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Presevo Valley is continuing in silence and no one from Kosovo or Albania is doing anything in this regard”.

“Over 6,000 Albanians in Presevo Valley could not take part in yesterday’s elections in Serbia. Their addresses were deleted from the Serbian state administration. In this way, the ethnic cleansing in Presevo Valley is continuing in silence, gradually and without stopping,” Latifi said.

Kurti: Authors of Bucha massacre to be brought to justice (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has joined other world leaders in condemning the atrocities in the town of Bucha, Ukraine.

"Mass-graves, people brutally killed with body parts missing, burned houses & cities turned to rubble are all familiar scenes from genocidal regimes. The perpetrators of the #BuchaMassacre must be brought to justice and Russia must be held accountable," Kurti wrote on Twitter, using the hashtag: FreedomForUkraine.

COVID-19: 27 new cases, no deaths (media)

27 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said. 30 persons recovered during this time. There are 552 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Serbia’s Election Commission (RIK): SNS will have 121 parliamentary seats, main opposition 37; Vucic wins (N1, Beta)

After unusually cancelling news conferences before the polls closed on Sunday night, Serbia’s Election Commission (RIK) continued publishing results on its website, showing 58.54 turnout based on 90.6 votes counted and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) winning 43.2 percent securing 121 seats in the 250-strong country’s Parliament, and Aleksandar Vucic winning his second consecutive term in the first round.

According to RIK’s results, the opposition ‘United for Belgrade’s Victory’ won 13.3 percent of the votes, or 37 mandates, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) coalition 11.6 votes or 32 mandates and the right-wing opposition coalition ‘Hope’ (Nada) 5.3 percent of the votes, or 14 parliamentary seats.

Three more coalitions and parties crossed the three percent threshold: the green-left ‘We Must’ opposition coalition with 4.4. percent of the votes or 12 mandates, right-wing ‘Patriotic Bloc’ with 3.8 percent or ten mandates and “Oath Keepers’ with 3.7 percent or ten seats.

Hungarian, Bosniak and Albanian minority parties will have 14 deputies in a new Parliament.

RIK said on its website that other parties failed to cross the three percent threshold.

Based on 91.8 percent of votes counted, RIK said that Aleksandar Vucic won 59 percent of the votes at the presidential elections, cementing his second term in a row. His main opponent, Zdravko Ponos of the ‘United for Serbia’s Victory’ coalition, won the support of 18 percent of the people who cast their ballot.

Right-wing coalition ‘NADA’ candidate Milos Jovanovic was in third place with 5.9 percent of the vote, followed by ‘Patriotic Bloc’ candidate Bosko Obradovic with 4.4 percent and ‘Oath Keepers’ party candidate Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski with 4.3 percent of votes, RIK added on its website.

According to the RIK data, the turnout was 58.6 percent.

Vucic says Serbia moved dramatically to the right (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told a late-night news conference on Sunday that the results of the elections showed that the country had moved dramatically to the right.

“The crisis in Ukraine had a huge effect on the results of the elections and Serbia has moved dramatically to the right,” he told reporters at the headquarters of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). “I believe the SNS will manage to keep from going too far to the right,” he said.

Vucic said that the SNS election ticket won somewhat fewer votes because of its responsible stand, and we will not form a government to be in line with the biased views of the public.

According to Vucic, there were some unnecessary and meaningless tensions over minor issues during the day, but everything ended peacefully. Commenting on reports of SNS activists going door to door with lists of voters, he said that was not illegal and that those people were doing the rounds of SNS voters.

Read more at:https://bit.ly/3DB5w4H Ponos: Start of the end for Vucic (N1)

United for Serbia’s Victory presidential candidate Zdravko Ponos said on Sunday night that the elections are the start of the end of Aleksandar Vucic’s authorities.

“We won’t wait four years for the next parliamentary elections. We won’t and we can’t betray the citizens who have started moving. A mass of people flooded the polling stations, a mass of young people. We won the elections in urban areas. I won the presidential elections in urban areas … everywhere where we had a better media situation,” he told reporters, adding that the coalition won’t gamble that away.

Ponos said the biggest achievement of the elections was the fact that they broke through the electorate’s fear. “People turned out, we launched hope,” he said. “We tried to show that you can be in politics without lies, hate speech use, and be polite towards political rivals,” he said.

“We managed to turn on the light and people saw a semi-broken Serbia. They saw themselves humiliated and impoverished, they saw that their leaders are not that strong, that they should not fear them,” he said, commenting on the high turnout.

CRTA: The secrecy of the ballot for voters from Kosovo threatened (KiM radio, KoSSev)

Voting of voters from Kosovo and Metohija at 46 polling stations in Kursumlija, Tutin, Bujanovac and Raska was marked by a large crowd and poor organization of polling stations, which endangered the secrecy of voting since more than a dozen voters were present at some polling stations, said representatives of the CRTA observation mission, reported KiM radio.

As CRTA announced at the press conference last night, the increased presence of the police in front of the polling stations was noticed.

KiM radio recalled that during the election day, huge crowds were noticed at the polling stations in Kursumlija, where the citizens of central Kosovo and the Sirinicka Parish voted.

As multi-level elections are being held at the same time, the counting process is expected to take longer than 2020. To ensure the reliability and accuracy of the data, CRTA will release the results of the election only when it collects and processes data from at least 95% of the polling stations in the sample, reported KiM radio.

Igor Simic: Another victory of a decent Serbia (TV Most)

“Another victory of a decent Serbia that wants a better future, continued economic strengthening, peace, stability and security for itself and its children,” said the Vice President of Serbian List Igor Simic on the victory of President Aleksandar Vucic in the elections.

In his post on Facebook, Simic expressed gratitude to “the people from Kosovo and Metohija who, despite obstacles, showed how much they love Serbia and support the policy of President Vucic”.

“We have an obligation in the coming period to enlighten those who were seduced by lies of the quasi-oppositionists, who insulted us, lied, attacked, humiliated, fabricated salaries, and return them to the right path. We did not defeat those who did not want to see that Serbia is stronger today than ever before, that deeds speak and their lies are still being heard; the idea of those who would like to divide us was defeated, who make them insult us and lie about us, and who at the end of the day stay with us to live in Kosovo and Metohija. One should never condemn a sinner, but the sin,” Simic said.

Subaric: Citizens supported the development and prosperity of Serbia (Kosovo Online)

The mayor of Gracanica, Ljiljana Subaric, assessed that the citizens supported the economic development and prosperity of Serbia and the defense of Kosovo in yesterday's elections, reported Kosovo Online.

She pointed out that Serbs from Kosovo once again showed their support for the policy of peace and stability, and added that she was proud of them, because they responded to the call of their state to go to central Serbia and vote, despite many obstacles.

"Citizens voted responsibly for the policy of our president, for the development and prosperity of Serbia and the defense of Kosovo and Metohija. Such a policy has the absolute support of the citizens, and it was shown once again in this election. I am personally satisfied with the results achieved in these difficult circumstances which were really amazing," said Subaric.

Subaric added that the Serbian people in Kosovo will continue to enjoy the support of the state of Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic.

"The readiness of the citizens to go so many kilometres shows the support that the state policy enjoys among our people in this area. Our people supported new schools, roads, factories, investments with their vote," she said.

Radovic: After the celebration in North Mitrovica bullet cases found; the prosecutor ordered an investigation (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Police spokesman for the North region, Lieutenant Branislav Radovic, said that pyrotechnic devices were used during the celebrations in North Mitrovica last night, and that, after the citizens dispersed, members of the Kosovo Police found bullet cases of pistols and automatic rifles, reported Kosovo Online.

Radovic added for Kosovo Online that the prosecutor ordered that the case be treated as a crime of causing general danger and that an investigation be launched.

''On April 3, 2022, around 11:30 pm in King Peter the First Street, a celebration took place at the so-called roundabout, most likely due to the results of the elections held in the Republic of Serbia, which were accompanied by a large convoy of passenger cars, with use of pyrotechnics, torches, firecrackers, fireworks, etc. After the dispersal of the population, i.e., the people who were celebrating, the present police patrol noticed shell casings on and around the roundabout. These are ammunition shells for a pistol and 55 ammunition shells for an automatic rifle, as well as the remains of pyrotechnics on the road, probably firecrackers. The prosecutor was contacted and ordered that the case be characterized as causing general danger and that the investigation against unidentified persons continue," Radovic said, reported the portal.

CRTA: Many irregularities, but no effect on results; Worst damage done before (N1)

CRTA's program director Rasa Nedeljkov said on Monday that the election day was full of tensions, which occasionally escalated into physical violence, and that "repeated gross violations of election rules" were recorded in five percent of polling stations in Serbia and Belgrade.

“Extremely poorly organised and tense election day was the expected outcome of the continuous collapse of the integrity of the election process, marked by strengthening and improving various forms of electoral corruption and endangering citizens’ voting rights, “ Nedeljkov said at a news conference.

He added that “the most important part of the damage to the quality of the elections was done before the election day “, but that Sunday’s irregularities could not influence the elections’ result.

“In the negative synergy of the parties that gained support through undemocratic means, the reluctance of institutions to protect the law and the public interest and the unprofessionalism of most of the most influential media,” Nedeljkov said.

Opinion

Brussels or Moscow – Vucic must decide (DW)

''The old president is the new president, and now the question is whether he wants to lead the country to the EU. Because the war in Ukraine brings Belgrade a lucrative offer from Brussels,'' commented Volker Wagener, editor of the BHS editorial office of DW.

''Did anyone expect a different outcome? Aleksandar Vucic, the baby's face giant, won the elections. The old president is the new president. They describe him as an autocrat or a director of ‘hybrid democracy’ and thus try to delegitimize him - but the recipe for the success of this powerful man who has been walking from function to function for ten years lies in the economy.''

''The younger generation often sits on a packed suitcase, if they haven't been in Vienna, or Frankfurt for a long time. Those who stay rarely have anything against Vucic. Serbia's GDP per capita has grown by an enviable forty percent in the past five years. Unemployment has fallen, government debt has been kept within limits, and foreign exchange reserves are plentiful.''

''It obviously works because it is felt in the refrigerator and in the bank account. Vucic, the cursed stabilitocrat who oppresses the media, distributes jobs according to the party booklet and controls the police, secret service, and judiciary, never won the elections with a nationalist pathos, on the contrary.''

''Vucic's policy is free of ideology. His SNS is a ' catch all ' movement, which surpasses everything and everyone. He turned the opposition into dwarves and marginalized extreme nationalists - at least until these elections, when some of them are celebrating their return to parliament. The SNS program is called Vucic, the only ideology is power.''

''But now he must decide: Brussels or Moscow? Belgrade's proximity to Moscow, often described as ‘pathological love’, is being tested hard during the war in Ukraine.''

''Forgive them, because they don't know what they want, it could be paraphrased. Vucic, like Tito in the past, juggles between East and West. From the Russians, so to speak, best friends, gas arrives at a friendly price, but Belgrade has been receiving alimony from Brussels for 15 years - three billion euros so far. EU entry has been negotiated for eight years, seductively slow.''

''It is at this point that the wind arrives behind the discouraged accession negotiations. The war in Ukraine turned everything upside down.''

''For years, Brussels has been repeating demands like a mule in the direction of the countries of the Western Balkans, and now it has opened the EU doors wide. Suddenly, it is no longer about the rule of law, free media, and the fight against corruption. Now the Balkan countries - especially Serbia - need to be protected from Putin's appetites. But first Belgrade must decide.''

''Slavic friends are dear and precious to Belgrade. The Orthodox brothers have been blocking Kosovo's admission to the UN for a long time. Belgrade has not yet renounced the so-called cradle of Serbs, although it has been independent for a long time, which is accepted by half of the world's countries.''

''It is no wonder, therefore, that Vucic is silently supporting UN resolutions against Moscow. He rejected the sanctions, but then the rules of the election campaign in Serbia were in force. Now the votes have been counted, the powerful Vucic has harvested the support.''

''From now on, the only question is what will happen with that support? Russia's attack on Ukraine opened a discount offer to Belgrade from Brussels. It is a historic chance. Serbia should be in Europe and European. That would be good for the whole region.''

International

Serbia’s Aleksander Vucic claims re-election victory (AlJazeera)

Pollsters project landslide win for incumbent President Aleksandar Vucic amid campaign overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has declared victory in Sunday’s presidential election, after pollsters Ipsos and CeSID predicted that the incumbent leader would win 59.8 percent of the votes.

Zdravko Ponos, a retired army general representing the pro-European and centrist Alliance for Victory coalition, was projected to come second with 17.1 percent of the votes.

Read more at:https://bit.ly/3NLHXL1 Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić cruises to reelection (Politico)

President and his party post landslide victories but will face renewed pressure over ties to Russia.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić cruised to a second term in an election Sunday and will now face questions over whether he can continue his balancing act between Moscow and the West.

Vučić was projected to win almost 60 percent of the vote in the presidential poll — some 40 points ahead of his nearest challenger, according to pollster Ipsos and the Center for Free Elections and Democracy, a local NGO.

Read more at:https://politi.co/3NLlm11 Aleksandar Vucic: Serbia's populist leader seeks to extend reign (France24)

Belgrade (AFP) – With another election victory in his sights, Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic looks set to extend his rule over the Balkan nation after a decade of tightening his grip over the levers of power.

To his supporters, Vucic's stint in office has brought order and billions in investments to the once chaotic country thanks to his success at deftly balancing ties between the East and West.

But for his opponents, Vucic has increasingly relied on autocratic measures to keep the opposition in disarray and media outlets under his thumb.

Read more at:https://bit.ly/3NLK6X5 Putin’s European allies (The New York Times)

The fight between democracy and autocracy is happening not only in Ukraine.

President Biden has described the world as being engaged in a “battle between democracy and autocracy,” and Ukraine has become the central front.

There, Vladimir Putin, the autocratic head of Russia, launched a military invasion meant to destroy a democracy, and his military appears to be committing horrific atrocities in the process. A crucial part of Russia’s war effort is the economic help that it is receiving from another authoritarian government, China. On the other side of the fight, many democracies — including the U.S. and much of Europe — have rallied to support Ukraine, supplying it with arms and placing harsh economic sanctions on Russia.

But Ukraine is not the only place where the contest between autocracy and democracy is taking place. It is also happening within several European democracies, through elections rather than military conflict. In these countries, politicians who are friendly to Putin — and share his right-wing, nationalist outlook — are trying to win power.

Humanitarian/Development

Import of wheat from U.S. to cost more (Koha)

Kosovo will be able to import wheat from the United States after the market has been disrupted as a result of the war in Ukraine, Koha reports.

Arian Zeka, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, said the wheat from the U.S. would have a higher price in the Kosovo market due to the geographical distance. "We have to be realistic, the cost of transport should be higher than that from other countries as well as the delivery time since we are talking about transporting goods through trans-Atlantic Ocean distance," he added.

Kosovo has received a positive reply from the United States to the request of wheat imports if the need arises, Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade Rozeta Hajdari announced last week. The Association of Kosovo Millers said Kosovo successfully covers over 60 percent of its wheat needs. The rest, according to the Customs, is imported mainly from Serbia.

EBRD lowers economic growth projections for Western Balkans (RTK)

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has revised forecasts of Western Balkans economic growth as part of the economic fallout from the war on Ukraine.

For the Western Balkans region, the EBRD projected an economic growth of 3.2% in 2022, about 0.9 percentage points lower than previously projected.

Kosovo's economy, said EBRD, would expand by 4 percent in 2022, decreasing by 0.5 percent compared to the projection made in November 2021.

All countries in the Western Balkans will experience negative effects in way of higher price of oil and gas while North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo are more exposed to the increase of electricity prices as they import visibly higher amount of energy.

First Roma mini library opens in Kosovo (Kallxo)

A Roma mini library has opened for the first time in Kosovo, in the city of Prizren, Kallxo reported.

The library has more than 180 books of local and international authors and is open to all interested citizens.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, which has supported the project, said the idea of a mini library came from the Roma teacher, Urma Menekshe. "The project has enriched Roma literature. A considerable number of works have been brought in from countries in the region like Croatia, North Macedonia, Albania, and Romania," the Ministry said.

The trials in Kosovo have been going on for more than 10 years (Danas, Beta, KiM radio)

Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, a senior legal adviser at the Office of the Ombudsman in Gracanica, said that the citizens in Kosovo have been waiting for a final and executive verdict for more than 10 years on average, reported Danas daily.

Dimitrijevic pointed out in the show "Heroes in the age of coronavirus" that this is unacceptable from the point of view of human rights and stated that the largest number of complaints that citizens submit to the Ombudsman are related to the delay of court proceedings, cited Danas daily.

"The average citizen in Kosovo has been waiting for a final and executive verdict for more than 10 years, which is unacceptable from the point of view of human rights. Therefore, a law on an effective legal remedy should be passed, based on which citizens would be protected in the sense that they do not suffer any loss from third parties or if the state has failed to complete the case within a legal deadline," said Dimitrijevic.

According to her, the deadlines are good on paper, especially when it comes to labor disputes, because the Law on Civil Procedure stipulates that such cases must be completed within 30 days to three months.

"However, I personally have cases that have been going on for five years and which have not been completed even in the first-instance procedure, and where there is a second-instance procedure, that is, an appeal court that regularly returns cases," said Aleksandra Dimitrijevic.

Kosovo NGO Complains of Slow Progress in Prosecuting War Crimes (Prishtina Insight)

Justice institutions in Kosovo filed only one indictment last year for war crimes committed in 1998-99, according to the latest report of the Humanitarian Law Center, Kosovo, HLCK, on Thursday.

A project coordinator at the Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo, HLCK, Amer Alija, said that only two people were arrested in 2021 on suspicion of war crimes, while a total of five cases of war crimes against civilians were prosecuted, concerning six defendants.

Alija said efficiency in the prosecution of war crimes was far from satisfactory.

British ambassador Nicholas Abbott said the investigation of war crimes in Kosovo could be accelerated if cooperation was achieved between the justice institutions of Kosovo and Serbia.