Voters from Kosovo-Metohija to cast their ballots in central Serbia - commission

BELGRADE - In the December 17 Serbian parliamentary elections, voters from the territory of Kosovo-Metohija will be casting their ballots in central Serbia, the national electoral commission has decided.

They will be voting in the city of Vranje and the Kursumlija, Raska and Tutin municipalities.

Previously, the commission submitted a written request to the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija to determine the possibility of holding the elections in the territory of the province.

"Unfortunately, we have received a response from the Office for Kosovo-Metohija that it is currently not possible to carry out the electoral procedure in the territory of our southern province in the manner that would be in line with our legal regulations and state and national interests," the commission said at a session on Thursday evening.

"Namely, the interim self-government institutions in Pristina, headed by Albin Kurti, are making the holding of these elections conditional upon a recognition of the so-called Kosovo by Belgrade and are also refusing to enable the activities of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe mission on the ground in Kosovo-Metohija," the commission said.