MEP Von Cramon on Serbian elections: Denying Albanians the right to vote unacceptable

English

Gazeta Express

05/04/2022 14:39

Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, said on Tuesday that Sunday’s elections in Serbia were not either free or fair. She also condemned deletion of the addresses of Albanians in Presheva Valley depriving them of their right to vote, Gazeta Express reports.

Von Cramon in a statement posted on her blog wrote that the direct pressure on voters who work in public administration, abuse of media and state resources, physical assault on the opposition leader Pavle Grbović indicate the impossibility to have a free and fair choice. Further the MEP Von Cramon said that Serbia must fully align to the EU sanctions against Russia following Putin’s war against Ukraine urgently or will face serious political and financial consequences.

“Fundamental rights issues were once again reported in the Presevo valley, as we are seriously concerned about the complaints of ethnic Albanians who were denied voting since deleted from the civil registry at the place of their residence, which is unacceptable and we will closely follow-up on these reports,” Von Cramon said.

During Serbian election on Sunday, reportedly six thousand Albanians from Presheva Valley were denied their right to vote after their addresses were deactivated by Serbian authorities. /GazetaExpress/