2 days ago
Weapons, warrants, and whistle protests: the tensions shaping Kosovo's election season
A high-profile police raid on properties linked to a rising Kosovo Serb political figure has stirred fresh controversy weeks ahead of local elections, with authorities citing a cache of heavy weapons and the targeted party denouncing the move as politically motivated.
Kosovo's Interior Minister Xhelal Svečla said police discovered rocket launchers and grenades buried in a horse barn during a 22 June search of a weekend cabin used by Serbian Democracy (SD) leader Aleksandar Arsenijević. He was out of the country at the time and denies any link to the weapons, calling the operation a political stunt.
'There is no doubt that this is a setup... the barn is open non-stop; anyone could have planted them,' Arsenijević told NIN. His party says he declined to return to Kosovo, citing safety concerns and the absence of due process. The FBI has been asked to investigate the legality of the search. EULEX, the EU's rule of law mission, confirmed it is monitoring the case.
The searches targeted three locations – one in northern Mitrovica and two in Zvečan – and took place while Arsenijević and seven SD members were travelling abroad. SD vice president Stefan Veljković said police informed them of the operation as they returned to Kosovo. Arsenijević, who had left the group earlier for a family trip, opted not to cross the border.
Arsenijević's mother, the only family member still in Kosovo, was reportedly not shown a warrant. The police have not confirmed whether one was issued, and the prosecutor's office declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of the case. Under Kosovo law, warrantless searches are permitted only if there is an imminent threat to public safety.
Interior Minister Svečla has labelled Arsenijević a 'criminal' and vowed to arrest him if he re-enters Kosovo. Arsenijević has rejected the allegations, saying the campaign against him reflects a broader strategy to intimidate Serbs who challenge the status quo.
A disruptive force
Though SD holds no seats in Kosovo's parliament, the party has disrupted the political scene by offering an alternative to the dominant Belgrade-backed Serb List (SL) and ethnic Serb parties aligned with Pristina. Its rise reflects growing grassroots frustration among Kosovo Serbs, who feel politically orphaned.
SL still occupies nine of the ten parliament seats reserved for Serbs, but its influence has waned following serious criminal allegations – including the September 2023 Banjska attack, claimed by former SL vice president Milan Radoičić. Since then, major parties have refused to work with SL.
Arsenijević gained visibility through the 'Pištalka' or 'whistle' protests – noisy demonstrations held during visits by senior Kosovo officials to Serb-majority areas. He has accused Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Minister Svečla of implementing discriminatory policies and says he has been arrested more than 20 times, often violently.
The SD leader's growing prominence has coincided with a series of contentious moves by the government targeting Serb communities. These include the closure of Serbian-funded cultural institutions, bans on Serbian flags and symbols – despite constitutional protections – and evictions linked to disputed privatisations. Authorities have also begun deporting Serb-Kosovar dual citizens working in Serbian institutions. While officials cite national security concerns, critics point out that none of the 11 individuals removed has been charged or convicted. Ethnic Albanians in foreign police forces have not faced similar measures.
One longstanding grievance remains the stalled implementation of the Association of Serb Municipalities (ASM), guaranteed under the 2013 Brussels Agreement but yet to be established.
While the government defends its actions as necessary responses to security threats – citing the Banjska attack and the Ibra‑Lepenec canal bombing – rights groups and opposition figures accuse it of overreach. Controversial incidents include the conviction of an ethnic Albanian officer who shot an unarmed Serb man at a checkpoint and the alleged police beating of a teenage student.
Tensions further escalated on 28 June (Vidovdan), when SD vice president Veljković was arrested at the Gazimestan memorial site for wearing a T-shirt with Arsenijević's image and a Serbian flag. Though later released, he was stopped again, interrogated, and allegedly assaulted outside his home. According to SD, two men attempted to run him over with a van; one suspect has been arrested.
Marko Prelec, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, has warned that such actions resemble 'a kind of soft ethnic cleansing – not meant to eliminate a minority but to marginalise it.'
Mounting discontent
The political climate remains tense. Prime Minister Kurti's Vetëvendosje has failed to form a stable government since February's elections, after 40 failed coalition attempts. Popular dissatisfaction is growing as the acting government struggles to manage Kosovo's energy crisis and economic headwinds.
Food prices have soared by as much as 19%, while the Turkish-owned operator of Kosovo's energy grid has warned of potential collapse due to overuse and lack of investment. Over 37,000 Kosovars have emigrated in 2024 alone, according to official figures.
Compounding the government's challenges is the EU's freezing of €813 million in grants over stalled normalisation with the Serb minority. Serbia, by contrast, has already received its first payout under the EU's new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
The government also faces international criticism for plans to build two car bridges next to the iconic pedestrian-only Mitrovica bridge – a symbolic flashpoint between Serbs and Albanians. The EU and other international actors have urged Kosovo to abandon the project, arguing it risks inflaming tensions further.
As local elections approach in October, Serbian Democracy's insurgent campaign and Arsenijević's standoff with Pristina and Belgrade may redraw the political map in Serb-majority areas. Whether the party can translate momentum into seats remains uncertain – but the government's handling of the Serb minority will likely remain under scrutiny.
