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Report
Kosovo votes in parliamentary elections amid tensions with Serbia
FRANCE 24 English
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2/9/2025
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Transcript
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00:00
There are many factors.
00:01
It's very important to understand that Kosovo is currently at odds with the international
00:06
community, especially because of Albin's Koti policy.
00:11
So Koti is facing off historical parties from the war of independence, but no, these parties,
00:18
which ones were very important, are no opposition.
00:21
Why?
00:22
Because first, Koti is very popular.
00:25
He leads the poll by a wide margin from over 40 percent, maybe even over 50 percent, according
00:31
to some surveys, because he has a record that appeals to the population.
00:38
He fought corruption.
00:39
He had decisive actions for youth employment.
00:42
He raised the minimum wage.
00:44
He reformed the education system.
00:46
But he's handicapped by his loss of international support, especially because of the policy
00:54
he had towards the Serbian minority in the north of Kosovo and against Serbia in general.
01:02
For example, the U.S. administration has been very vocal against Albin Koti.
01:08
In the very last day, Richard Grenell, the special envoy for special missions of President
01:14
Trump, stated on X, for example, that Koti has been condemned by the first Trump administration,
01:20
the Biden administration, the European Union, the U.S. embassy and Antony Blinken.
01:26
Reynolds says that Koti is an unreliable, sorry, an unfair partner for the United States.
01:34
So this isn't clear how much this American diplomatic offensive can have any effect on
01:41
the election results.
01:42
Yeah, Laurent, the tensions with Serbia, the tensions within Kosovo with the ethnic minority
01:49
groups, what's the situation today?
01:51
Well, the government's hardline policy towards the Serbian minority is the reason it has
01:57
been criticized and sanctioned by the international community.
02:00
And the latest example occurred just days ago, I mean, weeks ago, it was in January
02:05
the 15th during the election campaign, the police, the Kosovo police closed some administrative
02:11
buildings used by the Serbian community, including post offices.
02:17
And let's recall that last year, the government shut down banks used by the Serbs.
02:23
They banned the use of the Serbian dinner currency that was in wide use in the Serbian
02:28
community.
02:29
They banned Serbian newspapers, Serbian consumer goods.
02:34
So all this policy has made daily life increasingly difficult for the Serbian minority, and many
02:42
of them permanently relocate to Serbia.
02:46
And this is very much criticized by the EU and the U.S.
02:52
And when speaking about the relation with Serbia, no, they are non-existent.
02:57
The European-led normalization negotiation are a standstill, and this is very important
03:03
for Brussels.
03:04
Kuti, let's remember, has frequently provoked incident in northern Kosovo, and he has completely
03:13
lost the trust of the Serbian minority and of Belgrade.
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