Kosovar Serbs to boycott local elections
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 August 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kosovar Serbs to boycott local elections, 16 August 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/521f46883.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Comments | All reference to Kosovo should be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 16, 2013
An assembly representing the Serb minority in Kosovo has voted unanimously to boycott upcoming EU-backed local elections, despite pressure from the Serbian government.
On August 16, all 91 members of the Interim Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija voted in favor of a resolution that said the election planned for November 3 violated Serbian law.
It said the vote would lead to further international recognition of the independence that Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, declared from Serbia in 2008.
Both Belgrade, and Kosovo Serbs, reject this declaration.
The local election is at the core of an EU-brokered deal to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina.
The start of EU accession negotiations for Serbia depends on implementation of the deal, and the government in Belgrade has urged Kosovar Serbs to take part in the election.
Based on reporting by B92, RFE/RL's Balkan Service, and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website