Serbs urged to vote in Kosovo
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 15 October 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Serbs urged to vote in Kosovo, 15 October 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/528b67298.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Comments | All reference to Kosovo should be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 15, 2013
By RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Patriarch Irinej (right) of Serbia seen here near the Kosovo capital, Pristina, in June
PRISTINA – For the first time, Serbia's Orthodox Church has called on Serbs in Kosovo to participate in next month's local elections.
Patriarch Irinej said on October 14 while visiting a monastery in the city of Pec in western Kosovo that it would be tragic if Serbs boycotted the November 3 vote and failed to form governments in regions where they make up the majority population.
If the Serbs are in a position to vote, Irinej said, let them vote "for the best among them, for the men of renown and authority, whose word will mean something."
In August, Kosovar Serb leaders threatened to boycott the vote, saying it was unacceptable if organized under local laws. Some 40,000 Serbs in Kosovo refuse to recognize Pristina's authority after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The community boycotted the last local polls in 2010.
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