Kosovo Serbs to Vote Again in Serbian Elections

A senior Serbian official said members of the ethnic Serbian community in Kosovo will vote in Serbia's upcoming general elections - despite its likely impact on relations with Kosovo.

The head of Serbia's Government Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric, said two days ago during a visit to the Serb-majority municipality of Ranilug that polling stations for the election will open in Serb-inhabited areas in Kosovo.

"Even those with a different opinion about Kosovo's status and who consider it independent should have in mind that parliamentary elections [in one country] are also held in other independent countries," Djuric was quoted as saying.

Serbia does not consider Kosovo an independent state but a province of Serbia.

The Kosovo Constitution provides dual citizenship for the Serbian community but in previous Serbian elections the Kosovo government did not allow the Serbian Election Commission to organize elections within the country.

A compromise was found which saw the OSCE Mission in Kosovo overseeing the vote with no role for the Serbian Election Commission.

The OSCE was charged with collecting and distributing election material to polling stations and giving it to the Serbian authorities once the polls were closed.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo will likely be asked to facilitate the voting process for a third time after the elections held in 2012 and 2014.

The OSCE Mission officials told BIRN that no discussion had been conducted as yet regarding a role for the OSCE.

However, Senad Sabovic, Head of the Mission's Political Affairs and Communications, said the OSCE was ready to support the vote in practical terms.

"If deemed necessary by the stakeholders, the OSCE would be ready to extend its services to enable...