The Serbian List, the largest party of Kosovo Serbs, announced on Friday that it will participate in the February 9 parliamentary elections in Kosovo.
In a reaction on Facebook, the Serbian List said that among the reasons for its decision to participate in the elections was an incident that occurred on Thursday, when its deputies were prevented from entering the Kosovo Assembly hall.
Serb List MPs appear in the Kosovo Assembly once every six months to maintain their mandate and ensure the continuation of their salaries.
On Thursday, they were prevented from entering the Parliament by MPs from the ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement, as well as the Speaker of the Parliament, Glauk Konjufca, who accused them of misusing public money.
Referring to this incident, the Serbian List said: "For this reason, we take this opportunity to inform the public that the Serbian List, stronger than ever, will participate in the elections."
"We will win all ten mandates intended for the Serbian people and we will preserve the unity and harmony of the Serbian people in this area. The Serbian people will show in the elections who they believe in and who they want as their representatives," she said.
Until Friday's announcement, it was not entirely clear whether the Serbian List - which enjoys the support of official Belgrade - would participate in the elections, although its leader, Zlatan Ellek, had announced participation last month.
"Representatives of the Serbian List are the only ones who represent the interests of the Serbian people in Kosovo, and precisely for this reason we are an eyesore for the regime of [Kosovo Prime Minister] Albin Kurti, but also for international representatives," said the Serbian List, which has boycotted parliamentary sessions since November 2022.
In the current composition of the Kosovo Assembly, nine out of ten seats guaranteed for the Serbian community belong to the Serb List.
Its MPs do not participate in sessions, due to "strategic action" - as they have described the boycott of Kosovo's institutions - but appear once every six months, so as not to lose their mandates.
Until Thursday's incident, Serb List MPs had been registered in the Assembly without hindrance.