ŠOLAJA: SERBIAN PEOPLE GIVE POLITICAL LEGITIMACY TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVES

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 13 /SRNA/ – By participating in the local elections, the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija have provided full legitimacy to the political representatives of the Serbs — and that is the key message, said Bojan Šolaja from the Center for International and Security Studies in a statement to SRNA.

According to him, the citizens went to the polls and voted, thereby protecting the Serbian people in Kosovo. Šolaja emphasized that a positive sign is that the Serb List won an overwhelming majority in nine out of ten Serb-majority municipalities. "It is also encouraging that, compared to the parliamentary elections, between 2,000 and 2,500 more voters turned out. This shows that citizens of Serbian nationality understood everything that was conveyed from Belgrade through support - namely, a clear political stance regarding the situation in Kosovo," Šolaja assessed. He noted that reactions to this outcome will become evident in the coming period, and that further pressure on the Serbian population can be expected. "Unfortunately, in recent years that has been the policy of the authorities of self-proclaimed Kosovo. But precisely for that reason, it is crucial to have the political legitimacy that the voters have now given to Serbian political representatives in Kosovo," Šolaja concluded. Candidates of the Serb List won the mayoral elections in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvečan, Leposavić, Gračanica, Parteš, Ranilug, Štrpce, and Novo Brdo. According to data from the Central Election Commission in Priština, in the local elections held yesterday in Kosovo and Metohija, mayors were elected in the first round in 21 municipalities, while in 17 others the decision will be made in the second round on November 9.