Aleksandar Arsenijević (; ; born 24 August 1992) is a

Kosovo Serb Kosovo Serbs form the largest ethnic minority group in Kosovo (5–6%). The precise number of Kosovo Serbs is difficult to determine as they have boycotted national censuses. However, it is estimated that there are about 95,000 of them, nearly ...

politician, activist and chemistry teacher. A prominent representative of the Serb community in

North Kosovo North Kosovo (, ); also known as the Ibar Kolašin (, or ''Kollashini i Ibrit''); earlier Old Kolašin, (, or ''Kollashini i Vjetër'') and colloquially known as the North (, ) is a region in the northern part of Kosovo, generally understood ...

, he is the president of

Serb Democracy Serb Democracy (, , abbr. SD) is a Kosovo Serbs, Serb minority List of political parties in Kosovo, political party in Kosovo. It acts as opposition to the Serb List (Kosovo), Serb List and is led by Aleksandar Arsenijević. History Serb Demo ...

(SD).

Biography

Arsenijević was born on 24 August 1992 in

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

. After the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

and the

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...

, he was a refugee as a child. He graduated from the Faculty of Science and Mathematics at the

University of Pristina The University of Pristina () is a public university located in Pristina, Kosovo. It is the institution that emerged after the disestablishment of the University of Pristina (1969–1999) as a result of the Kosovo War. The inauguration ...

, majoring in chemistry. He holds a master's degree in chemistry. He was recognized by the

Republic of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

as one of the most important students for the survival of the University of Pristina with headquarters in

North Mitrovica North Mitrovica; or ''Mitrovicë Veriore'' or North Kosovska Mitrovica, is a town and municipality located in Mitrovica District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has a population of 29,460 inhabitants. It covers an area of . North Mitrovica is a par ...

. He was the president of the Student Parliament of the Faculty of Science and Mathematics for 4 years. He is currently studying at the Faculty of Law at the University of Pristina. Since 2013, he has been working as a

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

, while during 2021 he worked as a chemistry teacher until entering politics when he lost his job. He entered politics in 2021 when he founded the Civic Initiative "Serbian Survival". He announced his candidacy for mayor of North Kosovska Mitrovica in the 2023 local elections, as the only Serb candidate, but soon withdrew his candidacy due to the Kosovo Serbs boycott. In December 2023, Serbian Survival was transformed to

and became a political party. He was arrested several times by the

Kosovo Police The Kosovo Police (Albanian language, Albanian: ''Policia e'' ''Kosovës'') is the national police, policing law enforcement agency of Kosovo. It was established in 1999 and took its current form with the 2008 police law. It consists of five dep ...

for his activism against the actions of the Kosovo authorities. According to Arsenijević, even life in a refugee column is better for Serbs than the current situation in Kosovo. Arsenijević believes that

Vetëvendosje Vetëvendosje (, , LVV or VV) is a Left-wing politics, left-leaning Democratic socialism, democratic socialist List of political parties in Kosovo, political party in Kosovo. It is a member of the Progressive Alliance, and an observer in the Par ...

of Prime Minister

Albin Kurti Albin Kurti (; born 24March 1975) is a Kosovo Albanians, Kosovo Albanian politician who has been serving as Prime Minister of Kosovo since 2021, having previously held the office from February to June 2020. He came to prominence in 1997 as the vi ...

is leading a campaign against him, with the aim of arresting him. During a joint operation involving the Kosovo Police,

KFOR KFOR may refer to: * KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, * KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, * KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defun ...

, and

EULEX The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, known as EULEX Kosovo or simply as EULEX,About EULEX
accessed 15 Jan ...

, in the village of Vallaç, Zvečan, a large number of illegal weapons was discovered hidden underground in a horse stable. The arsenal included firearms, hand grenades, rocket launchers, and large quantities of ammunition. According to Kosovo authorities, the facility in which the weapons were found belongs to Arsenijević.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arsenijevic, Aleksandar 1992 births Politicians from Pristina Politicians from Mitrovica, Kosovo University of Pristina alumni Kosovo Serbs Kosovan politicians Living people