Kosovo’s Election Complaints and Appeals Panel, ECAP on Tuesday overturned the Central Election Commission’s decision not to authorise the results achieved by the Srpska Lista party and its candidates in the December 28 general elections.

“The ECAP does not agree with the CEC’s decision to not announce the final results of parliamentary elections for Srpska Lista and its candidates. The ECAP assesses that this decision is unjustified and in contradiction with legal provisions,” it said in its ruling.

The CEC had announced the results for all the other candidates and parties apart from Srpska Lista – the Serb party backed by the authorities in Belgrade.

“Any partial announcement of final results has no legal grounding,” the ECAP said.

This is the fourth time Srpska Lista has had to challenge the CEC’s decisions against it.

In three previous cases, the party needed to file complaints after the CEC initially voted against its certification for participation in local and parliamentary elections.

The CEC’s decision on Saturday not to announce the Srpska Lista results was described by the party as “shameful”.

“Everything it [the CEC] did before, and now as well, under pressure from the  Pristina regime, calls into question the entire election process,” Igor Simic from Srpska Lista said.

The decision was also criticised by Kosovo’s Western allies.

“The CEC’s decision not to approve the publication of election results for Srpska List runs contrary to Kosovo citizens’ right to democratically elect their representatives. Any efforts to undercut that core principle undermine the partnership between the United States and Kosovo,” a US embassy spokesperson told BIRN on Tuesday.

On Monday, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo highlighted “the need for full compliance with, and respect for, international electoral standards, in particular the transparent and comprehensive publication of election results, as a means of ensuring legal certainty and equal treatment for all electoral contestants”.

In the December 28 elections, Srpska Lista won nine out of ten parliamentary seats reserved for Serb community, while Nenad Rasic’s For Freedom, Justice and Survival won one seat.