The first two weeks of the election campaign in Kosovo have been marked by increased activity but also concerning levels of hate speech and incitement by political entities. This was outlined in a report by the NGO network Democracy in Action (DnV), which is monitoring the campaign ahead of the general elections set for February 9.
Serbian government funds during election campaign
According to DnV, another troubling development is a decision by the Serbian government, effective February 1, to distribute 20,000 Serbian dinars (approximately €170) to about 5,000 ethnic Serbs in Kosovo who are unemployed and “economically vulnerable.” Serbia claims these payments are salaries for Serbs left jobless after Pristina authorities shut down parallel Serbian institutions operating in Kosovo, such as municipal offices, postal services, and tax administration.
DnV interprets this decision as external interference in Kosovo’s electoral process. “This constitutes external interference in Kosovo’s election process and represents an open attempt to influence the political will of the Serb community by using financial aid as a tool to shape voter preferences,” the organization stated.
Trend of hate speech in the campaign
The NGO network has also identified a persistent trend of hate speech during the campaign. “The use of inciting or hateful language has continued into the second week of the campaign, despite fines imposed by the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) for such incidents. So far, 62 events, or about 20% of the total monitored activities, have involved reported cases of hate speech or incitement among parties and their candidates,” DnV reported.
Among political parties, the report highlights that Vetëvendosje Movement leads with about 25% of its activities involving such language, primarily on political grounds. It is followed by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 20%, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) with 18%, and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with 11%.
DnV also monitored media portals, identifying nearly 900,000 comments on social networks across 152 platforms. Of these, 6% contained hate speech, reflecting the negative impact of political discourse on public and democratic dialogue.
Fines imposed for campaign violations
The Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) reviewed 45 cases related to breaches of the code of conduct during the campaign. “ECAP has issued 30 fines totaling €155,500, mainly for the use of hate speech, misuse of public resources, and the illegal placement of campaign materials in public spaces. Among the fined entities, PDK faced €53,500 in penalties, LDK €45,000, AAK €33,500, Vetëvendosje €18,000, the Coalition for Family €4,500, and the Egyptian Liberal Party €1,000.”
Political analyst Blerim Burjani stated, “Hate speech and incitement, used as political tools, are prohibited under the General Election Law, Articles 33, 34, and 35, which refer to the code of conduct for parties during campaigns. Such language endangers public safety, undermines human dignity and integrity, and incites general violence.”