The European Union (EU) observer mission has assessed the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo as positive and peaceful but with some shortcomings.<\/p>\n
The ruling party\u2019s negative and inflammatory rhetoric towards the media and judiciary, Serbia\u2019s interference through pressure on Kosovo Serb voters, and criticism from a U.S. official toward Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the campaign were some of the issues mentioned at a press conference on Tuesday in Pristina.<\/span><\/p>\n Nathalie Loiseau, head of the EU observer mission in Kosovo, stated that initial findings indicate that election day was calm, voters had good conditions to cast their ballots, and the campaign was highly competitive.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese are signals that the citizens of Kosovo are committed to democracy,\u201d said Loiseau.<\/span><\/p>\n Approximately 40.59 percent of the more than 1.9 million eligible voters in Kosovo cast their ballots on February 9, excluding overseas and conditional votes.<\/span><\/p>\n Prime Minister Albin Kurti\u2019s Vet\u00ebvendosje Movement won 40.83 percent of the votes, leaving behind opposition parties: the Democratic Party of Kosovo (22.15%), the Democratic League of Kosovo (17.59%), the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and Nisma coalition (7.47%), and the Serb List (4.43%).<\/span><\/p>\n Inflammatory Rhetoric and Media Boycott<\/span><\/p>\n However, Loiseau noted that the ruling party, Vet\u00ebvendosje, used negative rhetoric against the media and judiciary during the month-long campaign, which lasted from January 11 to February 9.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis was also reflected on social media. We have observed with concern the negative language from the ruling party against the media and the judiciary. The boycott of specific media outlets and debates has reduced voters\u2019 opportunities to make better choices,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n In early January, international and local non-governmental organizations urged Vet\u00ebvendosje to abandon its boycott of certain media outlets.<\/span><\/p>\n Vet\u00ebvendosje stated that it was not boycotting the media but rather \u201cexcluding\u201d three specific channels and that such a decision \u201cdid not affect Kosovo\u2019s rich and diverse media landscape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The party did not mention names, but previous media organization reactions indicated that the boycott involved major television stations in Kosovo, such as Klan Kosova, TV Dukagjini, and T7.<\/span><\/p>\n Loiseau added that polarization and deep divisions were evident in the campaign rhetoric of political parties.<\/span><\/p>\n The Election Complaints and Appeals Panel imposed fines amounting to thousands of euros on various political parties throughout the campaign due to their inflammatory language.<\/span><\/p>\n Serbia\u2019s Interference via the Serb List<\/span><\/p>\n The EU mission chief emphasized that the number of Serbian political parties participating in the February 9 elections was a positive step, but she added that Serbia interfered by supporting only the Serb List \u2013 the largest Serbian party in Kosovo, which has traditionally enjoyed backing from Belgrade.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMany interlocutors reported pressure from Serb List members on voters, and there was ongoing and repeated interference from Serbia,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n A few days before the elections, a Serbian parliamentary candidate told Radio Free Europe that he lost his job after opposing the Serb List.<\/span><\/p>\n He claimed that a member of the temporary municipal authority in Skenderaj, Neboj\u0161a S. Toma\u0161evi\u0107, told him on January 27 that \u201che would ensure he never received another salary from Serbia\u2019s budget because he was a traitor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Marta Temido, head of the delegation of European Parliament members, said at Monday\u2019s conference that Serbian authorities interfered by supporting the Serb List.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that Serbian authorities have seriously interfered by supporting one of the six Serbian parties. Our interlocutors reported that there was pressure on Serbian voters. The lack of genuine political pluralism within the Serbian community is unhealthy,\u201d said Temido.<\/span><\/p>\n According to preliminary results, the Serb List won 9 out of 10 reserved seats for the Serbian minority in the Kosovo Assembly, while Nenad Ra\u0161i\u0107\u2019s Freedom, Justice, and Survival Party secured the remaining seat.<\/span><\/p>\n Other Serbian political entities failed to enter the Kosovo Assembly.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. Official\u2019s Criticism of Kurti<\/span><\/p>\n Loiseau also mentioned in the preliminary report the criticism directed at Prime Minister Kurti by the U.S. special envoy for specific missions, Richard Grenell, during the election campaign in Kosovo.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDuring the campaign, we also witnessed the intervention of the U.S. envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, on social media, where he criticized Prime Minister Kurti. This could be described as undiplomatic,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n In a post on X on February 3, Richard Grenell stated that the United States needs reliable partners in the Balkans and that Prime Minister Kurti\u2019s government, in his view, was not one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n Kurti\u2019s cabinet has not responded to Radio Free Europe\u2019s request for comment on these statements. However, speaking to a Kosovo media outlet, Istogu Channel, he reiterated that relations with the U.S. were at their best level \u2013 to which Grenell responded again, saying they had never been lower.<\/span><\/p>\n Loiseau also addressed other findings in the preliminary report, such as the difficulties faced by the Central Election Commission during the vote count, as its software repeatedly crashed.<\/span><\/p>\n She stated that the EU mission would publish its final report in about two months, including a full analysis and recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The European Union (EU) observer mission has assessed the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo as positive and peaceful but with some shortcomings. The ruling party\u2019s negative and inflammatory rhetoric towards the media and judiciary, Serbia\u2019s interference through pressure on Kosovo Serb voters, and criticism from a U.S. official toward Prime Minister Albin Kurti during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":76242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,1803],"tags":[150,243,151],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n