A Constitutional moment in Kosovo

Kosovo’s voters cast their ballots on Sunday 8 June, but still have no idea who won. The Central Election Commission (CEC) has reported near-complete results, giving the parties very similar numbers of seats as in the outgoing Assembly though with a few notable changes. Read the article here

Strange Days in Kosovo

The final results from Kosovo’s parliamentary elections are not even in and already strange things are happening. At first glance the election changed almost nothing. After a turbulent four years, featuring a breakthrough in relations with Serbia, the integration of the Serb population, the trials on war crime and organised crime charges of several leading […]

June Elections: High Stakes for Kosovo

June Elections: High stakes for Kosovo by Naim Rashiti The campaign starts officially on 28 May with elections only ten days later, on 8 June – but the parties have been in campaign mode for weeks if not months. Kosovo’s political elites are trying to signal a shift with slogans like “New Mission”, “The Turn”. […]

Bosnia’s Social Impact

After years of passivity Bosnia shows it can still surprise; maybe two decades of Daytonian slumber have left it, as the poet would have it, defiant after sleep (“prkosna od sna”, Mak Dizdar). When the news comes as quickly as this, the commentariat should exercise caution. Read the article here

Unfree and Unfair in Northern Kosovo

The municipal elections in Kosovo on 3 November were not really local, and come down to two very different stories depending on whether one looks at the Serb-held northern region or the rest of the country. In the government-controlled south, Election Day was inspirational as all communities turned out heavily and peacefully.  Read the article […]

Bosnia on fire

The anger of Bosnia’s long-suffering people is finally spilling out onto the street. My friend and colleague from our days at International Crisis Group, Srećko Latal, has been prophesying this for years and I have to admit I’ve been skeptical. Read the article here

Something Completely Different in Northern Kosovo – policy briefing

3 November 2013 – Kosovo will hold local elections. For the Serb-held northern municipalities, the elections mark the end of Serbian and the beginning of Kosovo administration, the transition from one country to another. Pristina believes November will cement its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Belgrade hopes the European Union will reward its cooperation with membership […]