The Albanian Coalition received 27,607 votes in Serbia’s snap parliamentary elections and secured two parliamentary seats. The result followed the unification of eight Albanian political entities on a single list and brought renewed attention to the issue of representation for Albanians from the Presheva Valley in Serbian institutions.
Meanwhile, the victory of the Student List and the changes expected in Serbian politics have created a new situation that could provide an opportunity to advance the rights of national minorities. However, it remains unclear whether Belgrade will change its approach toward Albanians and their longstanding problems.
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Professor and expert on issues concerning the Presheva Valley Refik Hasani considers the unification of the eight Albanian entities and the securing of two seats important. He nevertheless says that the full electoral potential of Albanians has not been utilized.
Hasani emphasizes that the deactivation of addresses has directly contributed to the decline in the number of Albanian voters and limited the possibility of securing additional seats. He is calling for the political changes in Serbia to be used to investigate this phenomenon and restore the rights of affected citizens.
“The result of the Albanian Coalition in the snap elections of October 25 this month in Serbia represents a result, but not the expected one, since in the previous legislature in the Serbian Parliament, Albanians were represented by only one member of parliament. In these elections, eight political entities representing Albanians in the Presheva, Medvegjë and Bujanoc regions reached an agreement to run on a joint list and secured two parliamentary seats.
What is historic, for the first time since the March 1–2, 1992 referendum, the armed uprising through the UÇPMB and the Konçul Agreement, is that this joint list was also joined by an Albanian candidate from Novi Pazar. This is very important, since the Albanian Coalition also received votes in the Sandzak region, according to the preliminary results published by the Republican Election Commission,” Hasani said.
According to him, the agreement between the Albanian entities was a useful step, but voter turnout did not reach the necessary level. He says that the figure of 27,607 votes does not represent the actual number of eligible Albanian voters in the Presheva Valley.
“Yes, I agree that it is an initially successful result that eight political entities representing Albanians in the Presheva, Medvegjë and Bujanoc regions reached an agreement to run on a joint list. However, the political entities representing Albanians in this region did not do enough to mobilize voters to go to the polls.
I do not know exactly what percentage voted, but this region has more eligible Albanian voters than the number of 27,607 votes won. I believe that around half of eligible Albanian voters took part in the elections, while the Republican Election Commission reports that, at the level of Serbia, more than 65 percent of eligible citizens voted. To achieve the greatest success, Albanians need to be mobilized and more than 80 percent of eligible Albanian citizens need to turn out to vote,” he said.
Hasani recalls that in the 2020 parliamentary elections, Albanians from the Valley, running through a joint list, won three parliamentary seats. He believes that up to five seats could have been secured in the latest elections, but that possibility was also undermined by the deactivation of addresses.
“In 2020, Albanians from this region, in the elections for the Serbian Parliament, won three parliamentary seats through a joint list. In the snap elections of October 25 this month in Serbia, we should have won five seats. But in these elections, the deactivation of addresses contributed to the loss of the opportunity to win at least two additional seats.
In addition to other issues, Albanian citizens are also facing the deactivation of addresses, with eligible voters removed from the voter registers as well. This has affected the number of possible votes for the Albanian list, particularly given that around 85 percent of Albanians in Medvegjë are reportedly affected by address deactivation, while in Zarbicë and Muhoc in Bujanoc this percentage is reported to be above 80 percent,” Hasani stressed.
Changes in Serbia could pave the way for Albanian rights
Analyzing the victory of the Student List, Hasani says that a new political reality has emerged in Serbia, which could also affect how national minorities are represented in the country’s institutions.
He believes that the weakening of Aleksandar Vučić and the possibility that the Student List could form new institutions give Albanians a timely opportunity to demand greater equality and stronger institutional representation.
“This result will affect their proportional institutional representation, both at the local and central levels. Above all, these parliamentary elections have created a new political circumstance, and this will also be reflected in Parliament, the Government and the Presidency, because Aleksandar Vučić has suffered a heavy defeat and will remain in opposition, after being in power and controlling all institutions in Serbia for more than a decade and a half.
The Student List has managed to win more than 52 percent and has the constitutional right to form the new institutions without any coalition. In my view, this represents a strengthening of the opposition and of all minorities living in Serbia,” he said.
For this reason, Hasani proposes that the two Albanian members of parliament coordinate their actions with representatives of other minorities, including Hungarians, Bosniaks and Bulgarians. He suggests creating a joint parliamentary group that would enable minorities to articulate their demands more forcefully and exert greater pressure on the institutions.
“The members of this legislature—Hungarians, Albanians, Bosniaks and Bulgarians—should form a joint parliamentary group and, if they are offered a coalition, they should accept it on the condition that the full rights of minorities are realized, in accordance with international acts and conventions.
All non-Serb members of parliament—this is the last moment to initiate a demand for representation through reserved seats in the Serbian Parliament,” Hasani said.
The two Albanian MPs should call for an investigation into address deactivation
Professor Hasani is calling on the two Albanian members of parliament to use all parliamentary opportunities to address issues concerning the Albanian community in Serbia. Among his priorities, he lists interpellations of senior officials and the establishment of a parliamentary commission to investigate the deactivation of addresses.
He believes that cooperation with members of parliament from other minorities would give Albanians greater weight in their demands for accountability and help restore the rights of citizens affected by address deactivation.
“The victory of the Student List in Serbia, as I mentioned, has created a new political circumstance, and I believe it is favorable. This will be reflected in Parliament, the Government and the Presidency. The two Albanian members of parliament, together, should link their political interests with Hungarian, Bosniak and Bulgarian MPs and form a joint parliamentary group.
They should request interpellations of the prime minister, the relevant ministers and the president, as well as the highest levels of the military and police, on specific issues of general interest that infringe upon the rights of minorities.
This is the last opportunity to use this possibility to establish a parliamentary commission to investigate the deactivation of addresses, so that, following the investigation, the addresses of all citizens whose addresses have been deactivated are restored,” Refik Hasani concluded.
