Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has declined to confirm the election of nine lawmakers from Serb List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, prompting condemnation from Serbia’s government.
The CEC published final results of Kosovo’s snap parliamentary election held on Dec. 28 but withheld certification of the results related to Serb List, which won nine of the 10 seats reserved for the Serb minority.
Three members of the commission voted in favour of confirming the results, while two members from the ruling Vetëvendosje movement voted against. The remaining members abstained.
CEC chairman Kreshnik Radoniqi said political parties have 48 hours to appeal the decision to the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel.
Eugen Cakolli of the Kosovo Democratic Institute said the commission had committed procedural violations, first by publishing results before the legal deadline for appeals and then by releasing what he described as “partial” results.
“What happened today is absurd,” Cakolli wrote on Facebook. “If members had real doubts about the results, they should have filed appeals. Political voting within the CEC is not the way to resolve the situation.”
Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said the decision represented another serious blow to the political rights of Serbs in Kosovo.
“Instead of de-escalation and rebuilding trust, we are witnessing new moves that deepen mistrust and confirm that the systematic disenfranchisement of Serbs remains a practice, not an exception,” Djuric wrote on X.
He added that the timing was particularly concerning as the European Union has begun lifting punitive measures imposed on Kosovo’s government, arguing that the step had not led to a reduction in pressure on Serbs and other non-majority communities.
The EU imposed measures on Kosovo in 2023, including the suspension of some funding and bilateral meetings, following violent incidents in northern Kosovo after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in Serb-majority municipalities.
According to the CEC, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetëvendosje party won 51.1% of the vote, securing 57 seats in the 120-seat parliament. The Democratic Party of Kosovo won 22 seats, the Democratic League of Kosovo 15, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo six.
Of the 10 seats reserved for the Serb minority, nine were won by Serb List and one by the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival.