Kosovo rejects call for Serb ballot sites
Neighbor’s referendum set for Sunday
BELGRADE, Serbia — Kosovo on Friday rejected a call from Western governments to let its ethnic Serb minority vote in a referendum of neighboring Serbia, as it had done in Serbian elections until now, in what could fuel tensions in the volatile part of the Balkans.
A statement by Kosovo’s top authorities said the Serbs can cast ballots only via mail or at a liaison office, without following the past practice of setting up voting stations in Serb-dominated areas.
Kosovo laws “do not recognize the right of one state to hold a referendum in the sovereign territory of another state,” said a statement from Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani’s office. “The practices applied so far since 2012 have been unconstitutional.”
The decision is likely to further strain relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move that Belgrade has refused to recognize.
A delegation of Kosovo Serbs on Friday discussed the issue in Belgrade with Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic.
The referendum Sunday focuses on amendments that Serbia’s government says would boost the independence of the Balkan country’s judiciary as part of chganges needed for the country to move closer to European Union membership.
In a statement earlier Friday, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the EU welcomed the Serbian referendum, saying “it is important for eligible voters everywhere to be able to vote in elections and referenda.”
“We note with regret that the Kosovo government has not allowed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to collect ballots of eligible voters living in Kosovo for the upcoming referendum in accordance with past practice,” the Western powers said.
“We call on the Kosovo government to allow Serbs in Kosovo to exercise their right to vote in elections and electoral processes in accordance with this established practice,” the statement added.
Serbia has insisted that Kosovo remains part of the country, despite its declaration of independence following a 1998-99 conflict that killed some 13,000 people and ended after NATO bombed Serbia to stop its crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
Serbia has maintained a strong influence in Serb-dominated areas of Kosovo although it formally has no authority in the territory since it was forced to relinquish control in 1999. Tens of thousands of Serbs live in Kosovo, mostly in the north next to Serbia.
The dispute between Serbia and Kosovo remains a cause of tensions in the Balkans. EU-mediated negotiations aimed at normalizing relations have produced little progress, although Kosovo and Serbia have been told to resolve their differences in order to move forward in their bids to join the EU.