Northern Kosovo Serbs set to reject Pristina

Serbs in northern Kosovo voted yesterday on the first day of a two-day referendum widely expected to deliver an overwhelming “no” to the authority of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian government.

The vote is a reaction to EU-brokered talks between Belgrade and Pristina, with many local politicians arguing that the Serbian government should not be talking to the authorities in Pristina, much less making deals with them.

It is being seen as an act of defiance against the Serbian government – but it has no legal weight and has been dismissed by both Belgrade and Pristina, as well as the international community.

Serbia and Serbs in northern Kosovo have never accepted Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, which is recognised by dozens of countries including the United States and most of Europe.

Some 35,000 voters in the majority Serb north are being asked: “Do you accept the institutions of the so-called republic of Kosovo seated in Pristina?”

“The message will be that we ... will not recognise the authorities (in Pristina) that the Albanians imposed on us,” said Bojan Jovanovic, a voter in Kosovska Mitrovica, the largest northern town.

“We want Kosovo to be a part of Serbia, that Serbs are in power where they are and that Albanians rule in places where they are in the majority,” he said.

Turnout at midday in three of the four municipalities that are voting was 17 per cent, local officials said. First partial results are expected after polling ends today.

Belgrade and Pristina have been engaged in dialogue under EU auspices since March 2011 and have reached several accords addressing everyday problems created by Kosovo’s independence.

Brussels has insisted that Serbia make progress in its relations with Kosovo to further its bid for EU membership, fanning fears in northern Kosovo that Belgrade could abandon its claim to the territory under EU pressure.

The referendum comes at a delicate time for Serbia which is awaiting an EU decision on its candidacy status in March.

An EU spokeswoman in Brussels yesterday said the referendum did not help the situation in northern Kosovo.