European Forum

Serbs overwhelmingly reject Kosovo’s rule in referendum

Ethnic Serbs living in four municipalities in the northern part of Kosovo nearly unanimously rejected the recognition of Kosovo in a referendum that took place on 14 and 15 February. According to local Serb officials, 99,7% of the voters denounced the Albanian dominated government in Pristina. The referendum was held just days before the fourth anniversary of Kosovo’s declaration of independence. This declaration is not recognized by Serbia and Kosovo’s Serbs.

Consequences
Although the vote has no legal weight, the referendum may hamper Serbia’s efforts to join the EU. In December, Brussels postponed the decision to grant Serbia candidate membership due to its poor relationship with Pristina. The EU required Serbia to halt ethnic unrest along the border, if the country wants to make progress in its bid to EU membership. However, the outcome of the referendum could exacerbate ethnic tensions along the borders according to KFOR Commander General Erhard Drews. He warned that “conflicts could arise if Albanian nationalists should feel provoked by the referendum in northern Kosovo”. The Serbian President Boris Tadic confirmed this, stating that the vote is detrimental to Serbia’s interest. Therefore, last week Belgrade and Brussels both requested the Serbs in Kosovo to refrain from holding a referendum.

Serbs
Nevertheless, Serbs residing in the northern part of Kosovo argue that the referendum sends a clear message to the international community, showing that Kosovo is a part of Serbia, that pressure on the northern Kosovo should be alleviated and that the rights of Kosovo’s Serbs should be respected. A Serbian man from Mitrovica said “my vote at the moment defends my interests, the interests of my family and my state Serbia on Kosovo and Metohija”, representing the opinion of almost all ethnic Serbs in the northern region. Oliver Ivanovic, Serbia's state secretary for Kosovo, said that “Serbs in the northern Kosovo did not vote against the government in Pristina, but against the government in Belgrade”.

Kosovo
Following the referendum initiative, a resolution was adopted in Kosovo’s parliament that condemned the Serbian votes, citing that it "does not produce any legally and politically binding effect and as such is not valid". Furthermore, the government accused Serbia of interfering in the internal affairs of Kosovo. In Kosovo, around 90% of the civilians are ethnic Albanians. However, the northern part of the country is dominated by Serbs, as 40,000 of 120,000 ethnic Serbs are residing in this area.

Sources: BBC, IOL news, Voice of America
Image Flickr: by Jzielcke