PRISTINA -- A special panel in Kosovo overturned a decision by the election commission that had barred the country's largest ethnic-Serbian party from participating in upcoming elections due to its strong links with Belgrade.
"The Central Election Commission (CEC) is ordered to certify the political entity Serbian List and the candidates of this political entity...for the elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo to be held on February 9, 2025," the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) said on December 25.
The ruling stated that the party had fulfilled all obligations required regarding the political filings and was therefore entitled to be certified.
On December 23, the CEC said when it announced its decision not to certify Serbian List that its main reason was the party's nationalistic stance and close ties to Serbia.
Some commission members noted that Serbian List leader Zlatan Elek has never referred to Kosovo as independent and continues to call it Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo.
SEE ALSO: Serbian List Set To Appeal Kosovar Election Commission's Decision Barring It From February ElectionThe CEC also said that Serbian List has close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serb leaders who also refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence.
Serbia has close ties to Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, although Vucic has attempted to balance relations with the West and has continued to press Belgrade's desires to join the European Union.
Elek on December 24 said he planned to appeal the order and said he was confident it would be overturned.
The Serbian List -- which described the CEC decision as an attempt "to eliminate" it from the electoral process -- welcomed the latest ruling.
The party said the CEC is now obliged to act on the PZAP decision but added it remains to be seen whether the commission will "continue to violate its own law and regulations and act on direct political pressure from the authorities in Pristina."
The February parliamentary elections are expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whose party came to power in 2021 in a landslide in the Western-backed Balkan nation.
Prior to the ECAP ruling, political analyst Albert Krasniqi of the Demokraci+ NGO told RFE/RL that the CEC decision is part of the preelection campaign being conducted by Kurti’s Self-Determination party (Vetevendosje).
He forecast that Serbian List would appeal the decision and predicted it would be successful in getting it reversed.
“All this noise will last at most four days, and I am sure that the ECAP will reverse this decision of the CEC and will oblige the CEC to certify Serbian List,” Krasniqi said.
Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade still considers Kosovo a province of Serbia and has a major influence on the ethnic Serbian minority living there.