Kurti: There cannot be new mayors without new elections

2023-06-03 17:39:45, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kurti: There cannot be new mayors without new elections

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said on Saturday that there cannot be new mayors in the four municipalities in the north - North Mitrovica, Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic - without new elections.

"I understand that the elections that were held in the north of Kosovo had a very low turnout and the legitimacy is weak, but these have little legitimacy, and the others have no legitimacy at all", stated Kurti.

Kurti referred to the new Albanian mayors, who won the mandates in these municipalities, in the April election process, which was boycotted by members of the Serbian community.

Tensions have risen in the north, as local Serbs have been protesting regularly since May 29 in Zveçan, Leposavic and Zubin Potik, to oppose the entry of new Albanian mayors into municipal buildings.

On May 29, the protest escalated into violence between members of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR and Serbian protesters.

The international factor has made continuous calls for taking steps towards reducing tensions.

Some diplomats have also requested the holding of new elections in the north.

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti have given signs that something like this could happen.

In addition to calls to Kosovo, Serbia has been asked to withdraw its armed forces from the area near the border, and to lower the level of military readiness, as well as to ask the protesters in the north to be calm.

Kurti estimated that everything is moving towards normalization and that this could be done even faster, "if it were not for the obstructions of Belgrade".

"For normalization to take place, the address where pressure should be applied is not Pristina, which is the capital of the most democratic state, with the most professional police in the Western Balkans, but Belgrade, which, by not distancing itself from the crimes of [former the Serbian leader, Slobodan] Milosevic," said Kurti, among other things.

Kosovo and Serbia, with the mediation of the EU, started negotiations for the normalization of relations in 2011.

The parties have signed several agreements, but not all have been implemented./ REL