Votes in exchange for jobs: Serbia’s role in electoral manipulation in Republic of Kosovo

Serbia has announced 300 new job positions in its health institutions operating in Kosovo, just days before the elections.

The Ministry of Health of the Government of Serbia has announced a recruitment competition for 300 new jobs in its health institutions that operate in Serb-majority areas of Kosovo, only three days before the early parliamentary elections scheduled for December 28.

This is the second time this year that Belgrade has announced new jobs on the eve of elections, a move criticized by Kosovo institutions as direct political interference in the electoral process.

According to information published on the official website of Serbia’s Ministry of Health, the competitions include six-month employment contracts in health institutions located in: Gračanica, Štrpce, North Mitrovica, Gjilan, Obiliq, Fushë Kosovë, and Zubin Potok.

Serbia’s Office for Kosovo has also announced that an additional 50 job positions are in process, which were published on December 22.

The official statement says the employment aims to “improve healthcare protection for Serbs in Kosovo,” presenting this as proof of the “care of the Serbian state and President Aleksandar Vučić.”

Direct Links to the Serb List

The announcement of these competitions coincides with the election campaign in Kosovo, in which the Serb List (Lista Srpska) is participating—the main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo, supported by Belgrade.

Officials from this party lead several of the health institutions where the new job openings have been announced.

The President of the Serb List, Zlatan Elek, is the director of the Clinical Hospital Center in North Mitrovica, while parliamentary candidate Mirjana Dimitrijević heads the Family Medicine Center in Gračanica.

The decision of Serbia’s Ministry of Health has also been criticized by other Serb parties in Kosovo, which have described the move as manipulation of voters through promises of employment.

Similarly, before the parliamentary elections in February, Serbia had announced a recruitment competition for health institutions in Kosovo, which was later canceled following protests over lack of transparency and party-based hiring.

Kosovo’s Acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has accused Serbia of interfering in Kosovo’s electoral processes through promises of jobs and financial benefits.

Political Race Within the Serb Community

In Sunday’s elections, the Serb political entities competing are:

• Serb List
• Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival, led by Nenad Rašić
• Kosovo Alliance, led by Goran Marinković

The announcement of employment competitions by Serbia just days before the elections is viewed by critics as a political instrument that risks undermining the integrity of Kosovo’s electoral process.

Musliu: Serbia’s Competition a Deliberate Interference in Kosovo’s Sovereignty

Security expert Agim Musliu described the move as a direct, deliberate, and very harsh interference in the sovereignty of the Republic of Kosovo.

According to Musliu, this is not the first time Serbia has exerted such pressure on Kosovo.

He emphasized that open and explicit calls have previously been made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Marko Đurić, the so-called “Office for Kosovo,” and other high-ranking Serbian officials.

Musliu assessed that the situation is even more concerning because these statements and actions have been made in the presence of international representatives, as if they were acceptable, adding that Serbia is attempting to normalize its interference in Kosovo’s internal affairs.

He said citizens are being conditioned through financial support, border restrictions, pressure and blackmail, as well as propaganda and intimidating campaigns, with the aim of obstructing political pluralism and forcing citizens to vote for the Serb List.

According to him, pressure on the Serb List and on Serb citizens in Kosovo has increased significantly.

He also mentioned Milan Radoičić, whom he said ordered the leadership of the Serb List to do everything to secure ten mandates, warning of consequences otherwise.

The security expert stressed that Kosovo, through its Constitution and laws, guarantees full rights to local Serbs and all minorities, adding that no one is denying these rights.

“What cannot be accepted is for another state to use citizens as a tool of political pressure and hold them hostage for state and electoral interests,” Musliu said.

Finally, he called for an immediate reaction from the European Union and international actors, adding that despite the high level of pressure, local Serbs are trying to resist but still lack the courage to report the cases. /TheGeoPost.