All remaining local elections to take place on 2 June. After weeks of negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties, Speaker of the Assembly Ana Brnabić announced on 18 April that she will call all remaining 88 local elections for 2 June, together with the new election in Belgrade. Holding all remaining elections on the same day was one of the demands of the opposition since the talks started. Initially refusing to accept this demand, Brnabić said that she changed her mind after consultations with President Aleksandar Vučić. (N1 English, 18 April 2024)
ODIHR to observe local elections, says more comprehensive dialogue on improving conditions needed. The mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which observed elections in December, will also observe local elections in June. According to ODIHR assessment of the measures proposed by the Government, seen by N1, the legal amendments are a “welcome step” but that “comprehensive, inclusive dialogue on the improvement of electoral conditions” is still needed. (N1 (Serbian), 16 April 2024)
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly supports membership of Kosovo, Serbia protests.The Parliamentary Assembly voted on 16 April with a large majority to recommend that Kosovo be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe. The Committee of Ministers will make the final decision on Kosovo’s membership, which will require a two-thirds majority. Serbian MPs in the Council of Europe voted against, while the Serbian officials strongly condemned the decision arguing, among other issues, that Kosovo is not recognized as an independent country by all members and that it had not fulfilled accession criteria. (RTS (Serbian), 16 April 2024)
Kosovo accuses Serbia of retaliation for Council of Europe vote. Kosovo media reported on Wednesday, 17 April, that buses with over 300 Kosovo citizens were stopped at various Serbian cross borders. Kosovo PM Albin Kurti said on X that “Serbia retaliated against Kosovo civilians” due to the Council of Europe vote. Serbia’s Ministry of Interior also ordered 48 hours of police detention for Dejan Jankovic, the Kosovo Police’s Deputy Director, after his arrest a day earlier, but did not explain the reasons. He was released on 19 April. (Balkan Insight, 17 April 2024)
Serbian officials attend a rally in Republika Srpska to protest the draft resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on Srebrenica genocide. President of the National Assembly of Serbia Ana Brnabić and Minister for Social and Veteran Issues Nikola Selaković attended a rally in Banja Luka on 18 April to protest the draft resolution on Srebrenica genocide commemoration, which is expected to be voted on by the United Nations General Assembly in May. Officials of Serbia and Republika Srpska have strongly condemned the draft resolution in recent weeks, claiming it would mark Serbs as “genocidal people”. The draft does not mention Serbs or Serbia. (RSE (Serbian), 18 April 2024)
EU Permanent Representatives agree on amending Chapter 35 with Serbia to include Ohrid agreement. The Committee of the Permanent Representatives (COREPER) agreed on Monday to amend the negotiating chapter 35 with Serbia to include the obligations from the 2023 Brussels agreement and its implementation annex from Ohrid, North Macedonia. Amendment of Chapter 35 was one of the activities included in the Annex. (European Western Balkans, 16 April 2024)
December elections described as problematic in the draft Western Balkans Act in the US Senate. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved on 16 April the Western Balkans Act proposal, which promotes development projects and economic integration in the region. In the revised version of the act, it is highlighted the Serbian elections held last December and the concerns these elections raised regarding the state of democracy in Serbia, hence the need for support from the US to strengthen democracy. The bill will be submitted to the Senate. (Voice of America (Serbian), 16 April 2024)