PRISTINA, Oct 6, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Kosovo goes to the polls Sunday in an
election that could usher in new leadership at a time when stalled talks with
former war foe Serbia are a source of instability in Europe.
Whoever takes the reins will be under heavy pressure from the West to renew
dialogue with Belgrade, which still rejects the independence its former
province declared in 2008.
Previous administrations in Kosovo have been dominated by members of the
guerrilla forces who waged an insurgency against Serbian repression in the
late 1990s — a war that cost 13,000 lives, mostly Kosovo Albanians.
Sunday’s snap poll was called after former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj
resigned in July after being summoned for questioning by a special court in
the Hague investigating war crimes from that era.
Opposition parties hope to kick him and other ex-fighters out of power by
harnessing public frustration with the corruption and poverty that have
blighted Kosovo’s first decade of independence.
Brussels and Washington will be watching closely to see whether a change of
power can thaw the frozen dialogue and ease tensions.
Kosovo needs Serbia — and its allies Russia and China — to accept its
statehood so it can get a seat in the United Nations.
Serbia is also under pressure to make peace with Kosovo, so it can move
forward with its EU accession process.
The EU-led talks have been at a standstill for nearly two years, with
frequent diplomatic provocations souring efforts to build goodwill.
Ahead of the vote, the US and four European countries made clear the poll
offered an important “chance to urgently restart talks”.
– 100% tariff –
For Kosovo’s 1.8 million citizens, high unemployment and poor healthcare
are more pressing concerns than talks with Serbia.
But analyst Krenar Shala doesn’t expect domestic issues to top the agenda
of any new government.
“It is clear that the future government will focus almost its entire energy
on the dialogue with Serbia and very little on the issues discussed with the
citizens during this election campaign,” he said.
One of the core obstacles to resuming talks is the 100-percent tariff that
Haradinaj slapped on Serbian goods a year ago.
Having resisted heavy Western pressure to remove the tariff, the former
commander is hoping voters will reward his tough stance with re-election.
All the other top candidates however have shown a willingness to reconsider
the tariff for the sake of dialogue.
Kadri Veseli, leader of the PDK, which was part of the outgoing coalition
with now-rival Haradinaj, has condemned the tariff move as “amateur”, and
said he would honour Washington’s calls to remove it.
Opposition party candidates Vjosa Osmani, from the centre-right LDK, and
Albin Kurti, from the left-wing and nationalist Vetevendosje, also seem
willing to lift the trade barrier to resume talks.
This pair has also left open the possibility of joining forces after the
poll, an alliance that could oust the so-called “war parties”.
Yet with no camp expected to take home an absolute majority, coalition
talks could drag on for weeks.
– Kosovo Serbs –
If the dialogue with Belgrade does resume, one of the most sensitive issues
will be settling what powers to grant administrations in Serb-majority parts
of Kosovo.
There are approximately 40,000 Serbs living in the north and 80,000
scattered in around a dozen enclaves in other parts of Kosovo, whose
population is overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian.
The Serbs have 10 reserved seats in parliament, a bloc that could be
decisive in coalition-building.
Dominating their scene is the Srpska Lista party, which considers itself an
extension of Belgrade.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been urging Kosovo Serbs to vote for
the party, leading critics to decry an atmosphere of intimidation.
Polls will be open from 0500 GMT to 1700 GMT, with official results not
expected until Monday.