Kosova Central Election Commission said on Saturday that it has made all preparations for Sunday’s elections in the Serb-majority part of north of Kosova, where the mayors of four municipalities will be voted on.

This commission has already placed containers along the main roads in the north where there will be a total of 19 polling stations, while the Kosova Police said they have taken all measures to create a safe environment for the election process.

10 candidates are expected to participate in the elections, of which only one is from the Serbian community, as the Party of Kosova Serbs, a political entity based in the municipality of Leposavic, refused to participate in the elections due to what it said was a lack of suitable conditions for conducting elections.

The positions of the mayors of the municipalities in the north of Kosova remained vacant in November last year when the Serbian representatives in the area resigned from their jobs, amid tensions due to disagreements over a decision by the government in Prishtina to convert car license plates, issued by Republic of Serbia.

Serbian List, the main political subject of Kosova Serbs, has called on Serbian citizens for a general boycott of these elections, which according to the subject in questions are “undemocratic, organized by Albin Kurti”.

The European Union said that ensuring that the elections take place in peaceful conditions is essential. In a response to the Voice of America, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that “it is very disappointing that the Serbian List representing the Kosova Serbs has decided not to participate in the local elections scheduled for April 23 in the four northern municipalities.”

Mr. Stano said that it is the duty of Kosova and Serbia to prioritize the return of Kosova Serbs to institutions and to agree on a way forward that is inclusive, fair, democratic and peaceful. Stano called for the fulfillment of the March 18 agreement, for the normalization of relations between the countries.

“The Agreement and the Annex pave the way towards the all-round normalization of relations. A fundamental part of the implementation of these agreements will be the stable return of Kosova Serbs to the institutions of Kosova, including the local government,” Mr. Stano said.

Serbian President Vucic has criticized the main Western countries for supporting Sunday’s elections, stressing that their goal is ‘to prevent the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities’.

/a.p./