Serbia’s interference in Kosovo’s February 9 elections poses a threat to the country’s democracy, according to analysts and international observers, with some criticizing the European Union’s response as insufficient, KosovaPress reported on Friday.
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) in Kosovo and German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, condemned Serbia’s alleged pressure on ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to vote for the Serbian List party.
“This is part of Serbia’s ongoing pattern of interference through its exponents in Kosovo. It was expected. However, for Kosovo’s democracy, such organized intervention by another country is harmful,” said Abit Hoxha, a media and conflict lecturer at the University of Agder in Norway.
Hoxha stressed that Kosovo’s institutions must engage more actively with the Serbian community and urged the international community to prevent further interference. “The strengthening of the Serbian List serves Serbia’s interests. It risks creating a ‘kingmaker’ in government formation or an internal institutional barrier consistently representing Serbian state interests,” he added.
Besar Gërgi from the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) criticized the EU’s reaction as inadequate. “The first reaction should have come from Kosovo’s institutions. The lack of response from the presidency, prime minister’s office, and foreign ministry is concerning, especially as these actions represent systematic violations of the Ohrid Agreement,” Gërgi said.
He warned that Serbia’s repeated breaches of the agreement could make the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities “a potentially harmful project for Kosovo’s sovereignty.”
The German ambassador’s statement also drew criticism from Serbia. Petar Petković, head of Serbia’s so-called Office for Kosovo, accused Rohde of “clear bias.” However, Gërgi dismissed Petković’s remarks, claiming they were aimed at gaining favor with Serbian voters rather than reflecting real influence.
Nathalie Loiseau, head of the EU Election Observation Mission in Kosovo, confirmed reports of Serbian interference. “We heard from Serbian officials, including President Vučić, urging voters to support a specific list. This is interference in the electoral process,” Loiseau told KosovaPress.
Loiseau also pointed to what she called “unfortunate, shocking, and undiplomatic” interference from former U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell.
Over 100 EU observers monitored the election, in which 1.97 million voters were eligible to participate.
