Good morning,

Welcome back to Balkan Brew, your weekly dose of everything Balkan.

Rodolfo here, holding the fort while Tommi takes some time off. I may be flying solo, but I’m currently being very well fed by my parents and friends in Italy – so full of energy and ready to go.

In this week’s issue: Yugoslavia’s war on Christmas, Kosovo gearing up for new elections, and protests against corruption in Albania. Plus, a look at how the Balkan wars of the 1990s still echo today, from Syria to Ukraine.

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I was raised Catholic, but quickly turned atheist. As a result, I’ve always had a slightly ambivalent relationship with Christmas.

You know who else felt that way about Christmas? Socialism, which has historically been hostile to religion.

ENTER TITO. Under socialism, Yugoslav authorities downplayed Christmas and shifted the focus to New Year’s Eve, which became an official state holiday.

NO TREES. Efforts to push Christmas out of public life went as far as allowing the sale of Christmas trees only after Christmas, starting on December 26, as N1 recounts in this nice piece.

FATHER TRIGLAV. For a while, authorities even considered creating a local Santa called Father Triglav, after the mountain in Slovenia, but eventually stuck with Djeda Mraz.

BORROWED GOODS. Djeda Mraz was inspired by a similar figure popular in Russia. After Yugoslavia broke with the Soviet Union in 1948, there were debates about replacing him.

AND ELSEWHERE. Yugoslavia wasn’t alone. In Romania, communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu followed a similar path. In Albania, Enver Hoxha also pushed to make New Year’s Eve the main winter celebration.

WIGS AND CHAMPAGNE. Some time ago, Memorie published private photos of Enver Hoxha celebrating New Year’s Eve. For reasons unknown, he seemed to really love wigs.

If you’re spending the end of December working, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone: Kosovo is gearing up for new elections, due on Sunday the 28th.

WHY ARE THEY VOTING AGAIN? Elections were called after parliament failed to form a new government following the vote in February.

THE MAN. Albin Kurti and Vetëvendosje are likely to win again. The real question is whether they’ll secure an absolute majority in parliament or be forced to look for coalition partners – something they’re not particularly good at.

Vetëvendosje kicked off the campaign by inaugurating a pedestrian bridge in Mitrovica. The bridge connects the mostly Albanian south of the city with the mostly Serb north. Kurti isn’t exactly known for his openness toward Kosovo’s Serbs, and many see the move as a political stunt.

LACK OF ENERGY. Much of Kosovo’s electricity comes from two ageing coal power plants, Kosovo A and Kosovo B.

CUTS. As temperatures drop and many people return from abroad, energy demand rises, putting extra strain on the system. In recent days, parts of Kosovo have experienced power cuts, and some worry this could affect the elections.

On Monday, thousands gathered in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office in Albania’s capital, Tirana. They also threw Molotov cocktails at the building.

OPPOSITION. Protesters were calling for the government’s resignation after Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku (from Rama’s party) was indicted for corruption.

A video from the protests

NOPE. Prosecutors have asked parliament to lift Balluku’s immunity, but Rama’s party, which controls the assembly, is pushing back. Rama said he will not lift her immunity, at least for now.

ARRESTS. Four protesters were arrested during the clashes, and seven more are under investigation. Two police officers were injured, and one protester accidentally set himself on fire.

IN OTHER NEWS.

• The US has banned Chinese-made tyres from a company operating in Serbia, over allegations of forced labour.

• In 2024, Romania annulled its presidential elections, citing Russian interference. A year later, no evidence supporting the claim has been made public.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Central Election Commission annulled the results of the November election for president of Republika Srpska in ten cities and municipalities. The vote will have to be repeated.

• The European Investment Bank (EIB) has halted financing to the state-owned company managing highways in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the two entities of the country. The loan was meant to support the construction of Corridor Vc, a major motorway project, but was frozen after several senior employees were accused of misusing EU funds.

AND FINALLY. Journalist and longtime Balkan observer Lily Lynch has published this conversation with John Lechner, author of Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare.

Among other things, they discuss how foreign volunteers who fought in the Balkans in the 1990s later went on to fight in other wars as mercenaries – particularly in Ukraine.

THE NEW CONSERVATIVES. Novosti published an interesting analysis of the Croatian website Muževni budite, a Catholic ultra-conservative platform for “““true Catholic men.”””

The site is filled with sexist and misogynistic content and reflects a broader revival of the religious right in the country.

That’s all for this week! As always, if you spot a mistake, want to add something, or just send us your best wishes for the New Year, do reach out: we love hearing from you. It’s easy: just reply to this email.

Until next week, take care,

BB