Kosovo votes in parliamentary elections amid tensions with Serbia

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00There are many factors.

00:01It's very important to understand that Kosovo is currently at odds with the international

00:06community, especially because of Albin's Koti policy.

00:11So Koti is facing off historical parties from the war of independence, but no, these parties,

00:18which ones were very important, are no opposition.

00:21Why?

00:22Because first, Koti is very popular.

00:25He leads the poll by a wide margin from over 40 percent, maybe even over 50 percent, according

00:31to some surveys, because he has a record that appeals to the population.

00:38He fought corruption.

00:39He had decisive actions for youth employment.

00:42He raised the minimum wage.

00:44He reformed the education system.

00:46But he's handicapped by his loss of international support, especially because of the policy

00:54he had towards the Serbian minority in the north of Kosovo and against Serbia in general.

01:02For example, the U.S. administration has been very vocal against Albin Koti.

01:08In the very last day, Richard Grenell, the special envoy for special missions of President

01:14Trump, stated on X, for example, that Koti has been condemned by the first Trump administration,

01:20the Biden administration, the European Union, the U.S. embassy and Antony Blinken.

01:26Reynolds says that Koti is an unreliable, sorry, an unfair partner for the United States.

01:34So this isn't clear how much this American diplomatic offensive can have any effect on

01:41the election results.

01:42Yeah, Laurent, the tensions with Serbia, the tensions within Kosovo with the ethnic minority

01:49groups, what's the situation today?

01:51Well, the government's hardline policy towards the Serbian minority is the reason it has

01:57been criticized and sanctioned by the international community.

02:00And the latest example occurred just days ago, I mean, weeks ago, it was in January

02:05the 15th during the election campaign, the police, the Kosovo police closed some administrative

02:11buildings used by the Serbian community, including post offices.

02:17And let's recall that last year, the government shut down banks used by the Serbs.

02:23They banned the use of the Serbian dinner currency that was in wide use in the Serbian

02:28community.

02:29They banned Serbian newspapers, Serbian consumer goods.

02:34So all this policy has made daily life increasingly difficult for the Serbian minority, and many

02:42of them permanently relocate to Serbia.

02:46And this is very much criticized by the EU and the U.S.

02:52And when speaking about the relation with Serbia, no, they are non-existent.

02:57The European-led normalization negotiation are a standstill, and this is very important

03:03for Brussels.

03:04Kuti, let's remember, has frequently provoked incident in northern Kosovo, and he has completely

03:13lost the trust of the Serbian minority and of Belgrade.

Category

Transcript

Recommended