
Kosovo's President, Vjosa Osmani, accused Serbia of directly interfering in the local elections to be held in the country on October 12.
Osmani made these statements during a meeting he held with the head of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi.
"President Osmani placed special emphasis on the direct interventions that Serbia is making in local elections, a phenomenon repeated over the years, which is manifesting itself through vote buying, external interference, intimidation and violence," the Kosovo Presidency said in a statement.
Osmani called for commitment to protecting the integrity of the electoral process, "severely condemning the interference of official Belgrade."
"She also appealed to all political and institutional actors, as well as international ones, to contribute to the protection of the free vote and to condemn any unlawful act that violates the democratic will of the citizens of Kosovo," the announcement said.
Two days ago, Kosovo's acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, also accused Serbia of interfering in the October 12 elections, through promises of jobs and financial benefits.
Kurti stated that the recent actions of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, and other Serbian actors, state and non-state, "cannot be characterized otherwise than as interference in the October local election process in Kosovo."
"Promises of jobs, luring through financial support, conditioning and blackmail with social benefits, and statements by Serbian state officials that only the Serbian List protects Serbia in Kosovo, as the former Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vu?evi?, recently did, and as President Vu?i? himself has done, are repeated methods of Serbia's intervention in Kosovo," he stated./rel