After Vučić's defeat, Serbian List vows to maintain institutional ties with Belgrade

The Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, has declared that it accepts the results of the October 25 parliamentary elections in Serbia, following the defeat of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of former President Aleksandar Vučić, which has politically supported this entity in Kosovo for years.

In its first public reaction after the elections, the Serbian List has emphasized that it remains committed to the institutions in Belgrade and the policy of maintaining peace, security and institutional ties with Serbia.

"We remain committed to the policy of preserving peace, security, institutional ties with Belgrade, and the protection of each of our people in Kosovo and Metohija," the party's response states.

The Serbian List was founded in 2013 with the support of the SNS and Aleksandar Vučić. During his long tenure in power, the party has operated in Kosovo with the direct support of Belgrade. It currently holds nine of the ten seats reserved for the Serbian community in the Kosovo Assembly and leads all municipalities with a Serbian majority.

In its response, the Serbian List has placed special emphasis on the continuation of financial and economic support from Serbia, warning that it will be committed to preserving jobs, employee income, investments and social benefits for Serbs in Kosovo.

"In this regard, we clearly emphasize that we will fight to ensure that existing jobs, regular incomes of employees, the continuation of investments and new employment, as well as social benefits and all other forms of financial support for our people from the budget of the Republic of Serbia, are not in any way called into question," the statement reads.

Serbian List officials have mainly run parallel institutions funded by Serbia in Kosovo. After the closure of most of them by the Kosovo authorities, on the grounds that they were operating illegally, mainly Belgrade-funded educational and health institutions continue to operate in Kosovo.

In addition, members of the Serbian community in Kosovo benefit from various Serbian financial schemes, including pensions, child and maternity benefits, and social assistance.

Meanwhile, after the Student List's victory in Serbia, different positions have emerged from its ranks regarding future relations with the Serbian List.

On October 28, Vladan Kuzmanović, a candidate for the Student List, declared that the Serbian List should start working in the interests of the Serbian community in Kosovo and not the SNS.

"First, we will help them live with dignity, and then we will continue the negotiations that have begun, which have reached a dead end due to the hypocritical politics of this government. We will work so that citizens can start living with dignity and so that no one oppresses them, including powerful people at the local level," Kuzmanović told N1 television in Belgrade.

A day later, on October 29, the other Student List candidate, Jugoslav Gašić, took the opposite stance, ruling out the possibility of political cooperation with the Serbian List.

"The Serbian List has been the implementer of the SNS's work in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, with absolutely catastrophic results. We do not want any contact and no cooperation with them," Gasic declared to the local radio station Kim in Kosovo.

Meanwhile, Illija Srdanović, the first on the list of students, in an interview with Radio Free Europe, had reiterated that the Kosovo issue would be approached in accordance with the Constitution of Serbia.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade continues to consider it part of its territory.

The GeoPost