Kosovo election authority bans main ethnic Serb party from parliamentary vote

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s election authority has barred the main ethnic Serb party from competing in the upcoming parliamentary election. Authorities justified the move by pointing to the party’s nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia. The Central Election Commission declined to certify Kosovo’s main ethnic Serb party Srpska Lista or Serbian List on Monday. Some commission’s members mentioned how Srpska Lisa leader Zlatan Elek has never referred to Kosovo as an independent republic. The commission officials also said that the Serb party holds close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and other Serb leaders who also refuse to recognize Kosovo’s independence. There was no immediate reaction from Srpska Lista.