Vetëvendosje

The winning party in Kosovo's October election, Vetevendosje, filed a challenge at the Supreme Court on Tuesday against a decision by electoral authorities to rule invalid votes sent from Serbia, potentially costing the party three seats in parliament.

Rexhep Selimi, who served at the Kosovo Liberation Army's headquarters during the 1998-99 war against Serbian forces, announced on Sunday that he has been invited for an interview as a suspect by the Hague-based prosecutors.

However, he did not specify the nature of the allegations against him.

Outgoing Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has rejected criticism for awarding the retiring head of the Kosovo intelligence agency, KIA, Shpend Maxhuni, with the prestigious Skanderbeg medal for "professionalism and loyalty shown in the service to the nation".

The Belgrade-backed Serbian party in Kosovo has condemned the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement and likely new Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for saying that while Srpska Lista will not be part of his new coalition government, his cabinet will still contain a minister from the party.

Kosovo's Central Election Commission, CEC, on Thursday announced the final results of the October 6 snap legislative elections, after a month of turmoil connected to problems with the count.

Snags included ballots sent from Serbia being poisoned, resulting in CEC officials being sent to hospital, to multiple arrests made in various municipalities for falsifying the vote count.

"We believe that together with improving Kosovo's image and path towards recognition and EU membership, the diaspora can advance social development within the country," Gashi told BIRN.

Voting made difficult

People vote at the polling station during the early parliamentary elections in Pristina, Kosovo, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI

Hundreds of people attended an event on Monday evening in central Pristina to commemorate former Vetevendosje activist Astrit Dehari, who died in custody in November 2016.

Those who attended, including the leader of Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti, lit candles and laid wreaths, while activists painted a commemorative portrait of Dehari on a wall outside the ABC Cinema.

The family of the late Vetevendosje activist Astrit Dehari claim the results of an autopsy conducted by Swiss experts show he was murdered in detention in Prizren in 2016.

Dehari died in the correctional facility in the western Kosovo city after being arrested on suspicion of terrorism for allegedly throwing an explosive device in the parliament.

"The leftwinger set to become Kosovo's surprise new prime minister has condemned the EU's decision to halt further Balkans enlargement, saying it showed western leaders had forgotten the lessons of two world wars and instead were in retreat in the face of fascism and populism", "The Guardian" reports.

His plan is also to establish reciprocity with Serbia. Kurti also added for the weekly "NIN" that this is a normal way of bilateral relations.
"If goods with the declaration 'Republic of Kosovo' can't enter Serbia, Serbian goods can't enter Kosovo", he said.