Census of the population/ Kurti calls for the cooperation of municipalities and KAS

2024-04-05 12:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Census of the population/ Kurti calls for the cooperation of municipalities and

Albin Kurti

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, on Friday called on the mayors of Kosovo's municipalities and the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK) to cooperate on the population census process, which begins today and is expected to last until May 17.

During a meeting with municipal mayors in Pristina, Kurti said that "our joint commitment is necessary to address the needs of citizens without distinction and is the basis for decisions that will affect the future of Kosovo".

The census of the population, family economies and housing will also include a questionnaire, which will enable citizens to declare also about the damages caused by the war during the years 1998/1999.

"Citizens will be able to declare economic damages, destroyed properties, as well as damages to people, family members killed, missing, injured or imprisoned. This period is defined from February 28, 1998 to June 12, 1999," Kurti said.

The Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that the population census will be done respecting the principles of data protection and privacy rights.

"This process is not just a bureaucratic procedure, it is a cornerstone of modern governance and social development. By accurately recording democratic information, we will understand and serve our citizens better", said Krasniqi.

This will be the first population census since 2011 and for the first time it will also include the Serbian community in the north of Kosovo.

However, Lista Serbe said on Friday that Kosovo Serbs will not participate in the population census in Kosovo.

Lista Serbe - the largest party of Kosovo Serbs that also enjoys the support of official Belgrade - accused the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, of "many years of oppression of Serbs" in Kosovo.

During the last population census in Kosovo, held in 2011, the process was not carried out in the four municipalities with a Serbian majority in the north and was partially boycotted in other municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo.

The boycott had occurred after the authorities from Belgrade had asked the Serbian residents of Kosovo to participate only if the registration is done by the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.

According to the 2011 census, the total number of inhabitants in Kosovo is about 1.8 million, of which about 25,000 are Serbs. However, according to civil sector estimates, around 100,000 members of the Serbian community live in Kosovo.

The new population census was supposed to be held in 2021, but it was postponed due to the corona virus pandemic. Meanwhile, last year it was postponed two more times. /REL