Kosovar Serbs Rally Against Pristina's Ban On Constitutional Referendum In Serbia -Reports

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2022) Kosovar Serbs have held a peaceful protest in the northern part of the city of Mitrovica over the breakaway government's refusal on holding a referendum on changes to the Serbian constitution, Serbian national television reported on Sunday.

According to the broadcaster, several hundred Serbs on Sunday marched peacefully through the center of northern Mitrovica, where a symbolic vote took place with several people placing sheets with the inscriptions "Yes to freedom" and "No to life in slavery" in an impromptu ballot box.

"The Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija stand firmly with their state of Serbia and want to vote in a referendum on constitutional changes related to the judiciary. We demand from the European Union, the Quint (US, UK, Germany, France) and all other international actors to give Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija the right to vote as it was possible in all previous electoral processes with respect to all agreements, procedures and existing practices," Kosovar Minister for Communities and Returns Goran Rakic told protesters as aired by the broadcaster.

On January 16, Serbian citizens will vote on the country's judicial reform. Proposed changes include the elimination of several offices, expansion of the public prosecutor's office to become a collective body, and changes regarding the election of judges. Voting in the referendum will take place at 8,029 polling stations throughout Serbia, with the exception of breakaway Kosovo and Metohija. The decision on the results of the referendum will be made by a simple majority of votes.

A delegation from the European Union and the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States welcomed Serbia's constitutional referendum as a step towards the country's accession to the EU and the strengthening of the national judiciary. The countries also expressed regret that the Kosovo government has not allowed Serbs living on the territory of the self-proclaimed republic to vote, urging the authorities to change the decision and all sides to refrain from increasing tensions.