Grenade Attack on Kosovo Serb Election Candidate

Dragan Stojkovic, who last year ran for mayor of the Serb-dominated town of Zvecan, in the north of the country, announced his candidacy for Kosovo's parliament last Thursday, representing the Serbian Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija, SDSKIM.

Just after midnight on Monday, Stojkovic's home was targeted with one M-75 grenade, an explosive device made during the Yugoslav period, according to Kosovo police. He was last attacked in similar fashion in September.

The door to his shop was damaged in the blast but no-one was injured.

The attack comes just days after the Serbian government called on Kosovo Serbs to boycott Pristina-run elections on December 12.

Stojkovic told Balkan Insight: "Now, this [attack] gives you a picture of whether the Serb community here will go out and vote."

The elections represent the second to have taken place in Kosovo since the declaration of independence of February 2008.

Local elections in November last year were deemed a success of a good turnout of the Serb community across much of Kosovo, despite calls from Belgrade not to vote.

But in the country's troubled north, which is home to most of Kosovo's Serbs and which borders Serbia, virtually no Serbs visited the mobile polling stations set up.

The area has been the scene of mounting tension in recent months, including inter-ethnic clashes and bomb attacks, leading to KFOR, Nato's mission in Kosovo, stepping up patrols and checkpoints.

Stojkovic believes that it is difficult to envisage Serbs in the north voting while their representatives were under attack.

"I don't see anyone being interested to vote and no one is interested in fixing this situation," he added.

But the situation is more stable and conducive for voting in other areas of Kosovo.

"All I can say is that the election atmosphere in Gracanica is better then the last elections," Bojan Todorovic, advisor to the Gracanica mayor Bojan Stojanovic told Balkan Insight, referring to 2009 local election in which Mr Stojanovic was elected.

He said that people there are keen to use their right to vote and elect their representatives in Kosovo.

Another Serb party, the United Serb List, is also certified to take part in December's parliamentary elections.

Its leader Sreten Ivanovic said that his party comprises individuals, NGOs and smaller parties who want to find a solution to the problems of the Serb community through Kosovo's institutions.

He added that the coming elections are important for the Serb community because they should use their right to elect people who will represent them.

"Serb representatives will not lose anything if they are inside Kosovo's government. On the contrary, they will benefit a lot," Ivanovic told Balkan Insight.

Ivanovic said the Serbian government is not inviting the Serb community to take part but he believes that there will, nonetheless, be a large turnout of Kosovo Serbs in eastern and central areas.

"There are individuals in the list whose parties are based in Serbia, and still want to solve issues inside Kosovo's institutions for their people," Ivanovic said.