Kosovo at the center of nationalist rhetoric ahead of Serbian elections

As Serbia approaches parliamentary elections, Kosovo is frequently mentioned in campaign debates, but mainly as a tool for political attacks and nationalist appeals. Both the government and the opposition are repeating their familiar positions without offering any concrete proposals for the future of the dialogue with Pristina or for implementing the agreements reached in Brussels and Ohrid.

Political observers say the ruling party is using the issue of Kosovo to undermine support for the Student List, which is seen as its main opponent in this election cycle.

“As we have followed the campaign, we have noticed that the Kosovo issue is being used mostly by those in power in a negative campaign against the students, with the claim that they would recognize Kosovo’s independence. The aim is to draw part of the nationalist-leaning electorate away from the Student List,” said Sofija Popovbiq of European Western Balkans.

The main positions remain unchanged. The ruling party and the Student List continue to refer to Serbia’s Constitution, while some nationalist groups are calling for the Brussels agreements to be abandoned. The opposition coalition “European Serbia” offers a different perspective, supporting Serbia’s integration into the European Union and the normalization of relations with Kosovo.

“We have documents adopted by Parliament, and we must act in accordance with them. We need to liberalize trade, the movement of people, education, sports and so on. For me, this is a humanitarian issue, not a question of statehood,” said Goran Jeshiq of the “European Serbia” coalition.

Kosovo remains a source of political confrontation in Serbia. However, the votes of Serbs living in Kosovo also matter in these elections. On October 25, they will be able to vote in Raška, Vranje, Kuršumlija and Tutin.

The next government in Belgrade will face obligations arising from the dialogue process. For Kosovo and the entire region, the main question after the elections remains: will only the political rhetoric change, or will Belgrade adopt a new approach toward Kosovo?