Publicist and intellectual from Bujanoc, Refik Hasani, has welcomed the agreement reached by Albanian political entities from Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc to run together in Serbia’s parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to be held on October 25, 2026. In a statement to “Bota sot,” he described the development as important for Albanian political representation.
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Hasani said that the idea of a joint Albanian list had been publicly advocated by him since the Konçul Agreement of May 20, 2001. According to him, this demand has been repeated whenever parliamentary elections have been held in Serbia.
“Yesterday, at last, the Albanian political entities of the Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc region reached an agreement to run with a joint list in Serbia’s parliamentary elections, which have been announced for October 25, 2026, and this should be welcomed,” Hasani declared.
According to him, the agreement should not remain merely limited cooperation for the electoral process, but should serve as a starting point for broader political organization.
“Continuously, through analyses, opinions, interviews, statements, pronouncements and proposals, as well as by raising the issue in roundtables and debates, studies and papers, I never stopped calling for the Albanians of the Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc region to run with a joint list, unified around a goal, program and platform, through the coordination, cooperation, harmonization and articulation of demands, with the need to place the general interests of Albanians above narrow party interests,” he said.
Hasani stressed that running separately on several lists has fragmented the Albanian vote and limited the possibility of securing a larger number of representatives in the Serbian Parliament.
“The joint list is not an end in itself, but a political instrument to increase representation and make the articulation of the demands of the ethnic and indigenous Albanians of this region more powerful,” Hasani said.
Among the objectives that could be achieved through this cooperation, he mentioned the joint participation of the Albanian political entities from Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja, concentrating the Albanian vote on a single list, increasing parliamentary representation and creating a unified Albanian voice in Serbian institutions.
However, according to Hasani, the significance of the agreement should not be measured solely by the outcome of the October 25, 2026 elections.
“Its importance also lies in the opportunity to create a joint program and platform, rather than merely an electoral list. Political representation should be used to raise issues related to discrimination, the deactivation of addresses, the official use of the Albanian language, proportional representation and the collective rights of Albanians,” he declared.
He underlined the need for the electoral agreement to be followed by consolidated cooperation at the programmatic, institutional and strategic levels.
“Electoral unification must be followed by programmatic, institutional and strategic unification, through programmatic, institutional and political unity, for a sustainable Albanian political platform for this region,” Hasani said.
The publicist from Bujanoc also called for more concrete engagement from Pristina and official Tirana, as well as from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, on issues affecting the Albanians of Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc.
Among the issues that, according to him, should be addressed institutionally are the deactivation of addresses, proportional representation and guarantees for the rights of Albanians.
Hasani also brought renewed attention to the proposal to establish a liaison office within the Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo. According to him, this office would serve those expelled, displaced and relocated from Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoc who currently live in Kosovo.
Hasani considers the agreement on the joint list an opportunity to build sustainable and long-term political cooperation.
“The unification of the vote is the means; political representation is the instrument; while the protection and advancement of the rights and interests of the Albanians of this region remain the broader and sole objective,” he concluded.
