Little enthusiasm for the elections in the north

Preparations for the parliamentary elections on February 9 have also included the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo. The atmosphere in North Mitrovica the day before the voting was usual. Those familiar with developments in the north say that the lack of concrete alternatives and political skepticism could lead to low turnout in these elections, the first after several boycotts by the Serb community.

Preparations for election day have also been made in the four municipalities inhabited mainly by Serbs.

There were numerous movements of citizens on a typical day from South Mitrovica to the north on Saturday, the day before the parliamentary elections on February 9th.

The cafes and restaurants along "Car Llazar" Square were filled with many citizens.

Several vehicles with KFOR members stood on the southern and northern sides of the central Ibar Bridge.

Serbian citizens refused to declare their expectations from these elections.

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But, on condition of anonymity, one of them said that "I will speak tomorrow at the ballot box" and another said that "there is no alternative worth voting for."

Political analyst Branislav Krstic emphasizes that there is not much enthusiasm for voting in the north, even though these elections are being held after local elections boycotted by Serbs.

"Within the Serbian community, the six entities competing for the upcoming elections have not come before the citizens with a program, because they have offered nothing, neither a political program nor an economic program. The campaign is on social networks, there are complaints, accusations, but not to the same extent as in Pristina," said Krstic.

He does not rule out surprises in terms of voter turnout.

"It seems to me that within the community there is a kind of collective political depression and I am sure that we will be surprised on Monday when it is recorded that no more than 30 or 40 percent of Serbs voted compared to the previous elections," added Krstic.

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Six Serbian political entities are competing in the February 9 elections. The ten guaranteed seats in the Kosovo Assembly will be aimed at: Serbian List, Serbian People's Movement, Serbian Democracy, Party of Kosovo Serbs for Freedom, Justice and Survival, and the Civic Initiative "People's Justice".

The Technical High School in North Mitrovica will be one of the centers where citizens will be able to vote on Sunday.

A school employee said on Saturday that all preparations have been made and that election material has been sent, which will be ready for Sunday.

For years, elections in North Mitrovica and other Serb-majority municipalities have been characterized by boycotts and skepticism. Calls to abstain from voting have come from Belgrade, which, although officially supporting Serb participation in Kosovo institutions, has often sent contradictory messages that have influenced citizens' refusal to participate in the elections. There was an almost total boycott of Serbs for local elections in northern municipalities, and then for the petition initiated for the removal of Albanian mayors.

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The day before the elections, Serbian authorities issued a call for participation in the elections.

According to data from the Central Election Commission, the number of citizens with the right to vote in the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok is approximately 28 thousand.