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Election-planning Serbs arrested

March 28, 2012

Four Serbian officials have been arrested for attempting to set up local Serbian elections in northern Kosovo. The men are charged with "undermining the constitutional order."

https://p.dw.com/p/14TJ7
A pedestrian walks by a graffiti reading 'Kosova Republic!'
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Police in Kosovo have arrested four Serbians for allegedly carrying material for an unauthorized election, authorities said Wednesday.

The men, who were Serbian officials and included a mayor, were detained on Tuesday after crossing the border from Serbia to Kosovo, police said. They were being held for 48 hours and were accused of "undermining the constitutional order" relating to organization for local elections in Serbia on May 6.

The Serbian government had previously announced its intention to allow residents of Serbian-majority areas in Kosovo to take part in the election.

Kosovo broke away from Serbia in 2008, but the government in Belgrade refuses to recognize the former province's independence. About 90 countries, including the United States and most EU members, recognize Kosovo's independence.

Serbia still maintains an administrative system for Serb majority areas in Kosovo, including school, hospitals, and municipal councils. Officials in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, have said they will do everything they can to stop the elections from taking place within the country's borders.

Serbia and Kosovo are in the process of becoming candidates for EU membership, but the EU has said Serbia's bid depends on its recognition of Kosovo's sovereignty.

mz/acb (dpa, AFP)