GOGIĆ: RESULTS SHOW THAT SERBS WANT TO KEEP POWER IN THEIR MUNICIPALITIES

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 13 /SRNA/ – The results of the local elections in Kosovo and Metohija and the convincing victory of the Serb List primarily show that Serbs want to retain power in the municipalities where they constitute the majority, as a very high price was paid over the past four years, political analyst Ognjen Gogić said.

Gogić emphasized that Serbs did not want to repeat the same mistake, since in the previous four years Albanian mayors had governed the Serb-majority municipalities, which prompted the Serbs to mobilize and reclaim local authority. "In southern Kosovo and Metohija as well, where there has been a demographic shift, Serbs turned out in significant numbers, showing that they took the elections seriously and voted strategically — not to waste votes, but to support the list capable of winning and ensuring ties with Belgrade," Gogić told SRNA. He noted that the victory of the Serb List cannot drastically change the situation on the ground but, as he said, it can help preserve what can still be preserved. "In Serb municipalities, mayors until now were people who antagonized the local population. That will no longer be the case. However, problems will persist because the police officers are Albanians and remain part of the central, not local government," Gogić said. He added that the central authorities can still exercise oversight over the municipalities and revise certain decisions, and that new pressures from the government in Priština should be expected. "Nevertheless, it is positive that Serbs have shown they are part of the process and that they have some mechanisms to protect themselves," Gogić said. In the local elections in Kosovo and Metohija, the Serbian List won in the first round in nine Serb-majority municipalities, while in Klokot its candidate will compete for victory in the second round.