Igor Simiq, an elected Serbian List MP in the Kosovo Assembly, has repeated long-standing claims by official Belgrade regarding elections, the situation of Serbs in Kosovo and local institutions. Without presenting evidence, he claimed that one mandate belonging to the Serbian community had been “stolen” through Albanian votes.
In an interview with Radio Belgrade on the topic “The Position of the Serbian People in Kosovo”, Simiq also levelled accusations at the Minister for Communities and Return, Nenad Rashiq. According to him, Rashiq secured support mainly from Albanian voters rather than from the Serbian community, KosovaPress reports.
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He stated that Rashiq had received a large number of votes in municipalities where, according to his claim, no Serbs live, portraying this as electoral manipulation. However, Simiq provided no concrete evidence for the claims that the process had been manipulated or that the mandate had been “stolen”.
Elections in Kosovo are administered by the Central Election Commission, while results are certified following legal procedures and the handling of complaints by the competent bodies. So far, no court or institutional decision has found any manipulation of the mandate won by Rashiq. The Serbian List, meanwhile, has also secured votes in the municipalities where Rashiq received votes.
Most of Simiq’s statements focused on Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whom he accused of “nationalism”, “discrimination against Serbs” and “apartheid”. He also claimed that more than a thousand attacks against Serbs and arbitrary arrests had been recorded during Kurti’s term, but did not provide sources or documents to support these figures and accusations. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has addressed Serbian citizens living in Kosovo several times in Serbian, with the aim of avoiding disinformation, but Simiq implied that this did not matter to him.
Simiq also criticised the reaction of the international community, claiming that the European Union and international partners are remaining silent over what he described as “violations of the rights of Serbs in Kosovo”.
During the interview, he called Rashiq “Kurti’s Serb” and accused him of supporting Kosovo Government decisions which, according to him, harmed the interests of the Serbian community. He mentioned expropriations in the north, the lack of opposition to cabinet decisions, support for integrating Serbian institutions into Kosovo’s system, and Rashiq’s positions against the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.
According to Simiq, Rashiq cannot have the support of Serbs because he was Kurti’s minister when, he claimed, the “seizure” and exploitation of land in the north was voted through. He called this the “classic theft” of Serb land in Zubin Potok and Leposaviq for the construction of police bases and special units, saying that police bases had been set up on these lands, occupied mainly by Albanians with long-barrelled weapons and armoured vehicles.
He also reiterated the Serbian List’s longstanding position that Serbia’s financial and institutional assistance is essential for the survival of the Serbian community in Kosovo. Simiq stressed that Belgrade continues to finance education, healthcare and payments for some Serbian citizens in Kosovo.
Simiq stated that Serbia helps families with three children and those in severe social hardship with school textbooks. He claimed that these textbooks are smuggled in because, according to him, Prishtina does not allow any Cyrillic textbooks to enter. According to him, Serbs in Kosovo know their identity and affiliation, and without Belgrade and Serbia there would be no Serbs in Kosovo. He added that Belgrade is the capital for all Serbs in Kosovo and that this, according to him, has been, is and will remain the case.
Defending the Serbian List, Simiq stated that his party has the overwhelming support of Serbs in Kosovo. He denied accusations that the party pressures voters or manipulates the electoral process.
Kosovo institutions, meanwhile, have repeatedly stated that elections are held in accordance with the legislation in force and are monitored by domestic and international observation missions. Their reports have not identified any manipulation that could affect the election result or the allocation of mandates.
