Rašić raises accusations of "electoral engineering" and pressure from Belgrade in the elections in Kosovo

Two days after the extraordinary parliamentary elections in Kosovo, the leader of GI SPO and acting minister for communities and returns, Nenad Rašić, in a press conference accused of "electoral engineering", blackmail and political pressure exerted on Serb voters by, as he said, representatives of the Serbian List and institutions in Belgrade.

According to preliminary unofficial results, Rašić's party has secured around 5.300 to 5.400 votes, which are expected to guarantee it a mandate in the Kosovo Assembly, while the Serb List has won nine seats.

Rašić stated that support for his political entity is more distributed than claimed by his opponents, noting that in Serb-majority areas he received around 3.200 votes.

"According to unofficial information, we have somewhere between 5.300 and 5.400 votes... In areas with a Serb majority population, we have around 3.200 votes. The biggest increase is in the north, around 40 percent," said Rashic.

He admitted that in some municipalities such as Gjilan, Dragash, Fushë Kosova, Kamenica, Lipjan, Obiliq, Rahovec, Peja, Pristina and Vushtrri, the Serbian List has emerged stronger, accusing rivals of manipulating public perception of the results.

However, the journalists present challenged him regarding South Mitrovica and Podujeva, where his party performed better. Rašić responded that he had not mentioned these municipalities and that, as a minister, he had worked with all communities, expecting broader electoral support.

Rašić devoted a large part of his statements to allegations of political pressure and "organized electoral engineering", directly accusing representatives of the Serbian List and officials in Belgrade.

He alleged that citizens and members of non-majority communities have faced pressure through threats of job losses and financial benefits, as well as calls for talks at locations outside official institutions, claims for which he provided no independent evidence.

As an example, Rašić read a decision to terminate the employment relationship of a Serbian employee, where the reason for the dismissal was related to public expressions of political views, describing the case as illegal.

He also raised allegations of pressure on the Serbian diaspora and blackmail regarding pensions and income from Kosovo.

Rašić used harsh language towards political opponents, calling their accusations untrue and citing, as he put it, a "sustained pattern of pressure," which he said was intensifying.

The GeoPost