WHO IS WHO – Faton Peci: Conqueror of the PDK Bastion, stronger than exit polls and electoral irregularities

The traditional PDK stronghold, as some analysts referred to South Mitrovica ahead of the local elections, has been taken by Self-Determination’s candidate, Faton Peci. The uncertain electoral race in that municipality, accompanied by irregularities related to the serial numbers of ballot papers, ended in favor of the acting Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development and one of Albin Kurti’s close associates—although he does not belong to Kurti’s party but to its coalition partner, the Guxo List. In recent months, Peci found himself at the center of a scandal involving the awarding of ministry subsidies to his relatives, yet the majority of South Mitrovica’s citizens still placed their trust in him.

He secured an advantage in the first round of voting on 12 October thanks to votes from the diaspora. However, even though his opponent, Arian Tahiri of the PDK, secured the support of the LDK and AAK between the two rounds, Peci delivered a surprise and emerged as the winner in the 9 November runoff.
Yet, nearly three more weeks had to pass before his victory was officially confirmed, as the PDK filed a complaint requesting a repeat vote due to irregularities.
After the Slovenian company Cetis took responsibility for the printing errors in the ballot paper serial numbers, and after both the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel and the Supreme Court rejected the PDK’s complaints, the CEC finally announced today the final results of the local elections and made it official—Peci is the new mayor of South Mitrovica, having won 53.67 percent of the vote.
He thanked the citizens as soon as it became clear that the vote would not be repeated.
“Thank you 18,235 times. That trust is not only an honor for me, but also a profound responsibility toward each of you. I thank all citizens who participated in this democratic process, regardless of political conviction. Today, it is not an individual who wins, but our city. The idea wins that change is possible when citizens unite around a common goal. Now the real work begins, the work for our city,” Peci wrote on Sunday, 9 November, after the first preliminary results were announced.
In light of Self-Determination’s defeat in Pristina, Peci’s victory in South Mitrovica may be described as the party’s biggest success in the local elections.

From the LDK to Kurti’s Government

Faton Peci was born in Mitrovica on 16 June 1982, where he completed primary and secondary school. He graduated from the University of Prishtina, Department of Political Science and Philosophy, where he also earned a master’s degree in the same field.
His official biography highlights his engagement as a coordinator and consultant for the OSCE, UNICEF, and UNDP in drafting policy programs, laws, and strategies until 2008, when he continued as a consultant at the Ministry of Local Government as part of a project concerning the assessment and completion of amendments to the Law on Public Enterprises during the transformation process and companies with joint-stock structures.
He was a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), becoming spokesperson of its South Mitrovica branch in 2008. He later became a member of the LDK Main Board and a municipal assembly member in South Mitrovica.
However, he switched political camps and left the LDK. He joined Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and government colleague Donika Gërvalla, who also left the LDK, and became part of their Guxo List.
Guxo was founded in November 2020, and after Osmani left the party upon being elected President of Kosovo, Gërvalla and Peci were elected co-chairs of the party.
He recently told journalists he does not regret leaving the LDK.
“I do not regret anything. We founded our own political home, through which we continue contributing to Kosovo—and that does not hinder us; on the contrary, it created greater space to contribute to the country,” Peci said, acknowledging that he doubted he would have had space to become a minister otherwise.
Guxo is a loyal coalition partner of Self-Determination.
In the 2021 elections, Peci was elected a Member of the Kosovo Assembly, after which he became Minister of Agriculture in Kurti’s government.
The degree of trust that the Self-Determination leader places in him is reflected in analysts’ assessments ahead of the local elections, noting that fielding a strong candidate like Peci was a clear sign of how important the race in South Mitrovica was to Self-Determination and Albin Kurti.

The “Subsidies” Affair and the Animal Waste Processing Plant

In recent months, Peci’s name has appeared in media reports on scandals in which he was allegedly involved.
In May, he was questioned by the Special Prosecutor’s Office as a suspect in the affair involving the animal waste processing plant.
He left the Special Prosecutor’s Office after more than four hours of questioning.
The Agriculture Development Agency within the Ministry of Agriculture, headed by Peci, has several times been investigated by the Economic Crime Unit due to suspected corruption cases, and the prosecution launched an investigation regarding the lease of the animal waste processing plant.
For Minister Donika Gërvalla, the prosecution’s move was a “shameful act” and a “dirty revenge for Peci’s successful fight against corruption,” while another government member, Albulena Haxhiu, said it was part of a “plan to damage Peci and the government of Albin Kurti.”
However, this was not the only affair involving Peci’s name. In October, the media reported that his relatives had received numerous grants from the ministry he heads, and that one of the grant beneficiaries was businessman Ekrem Peci.
The grants awarded to Peci’s relatives for various agricultural activities amount to €150,000, Demokracia reported.
In addition, media reported that Ekrem Peci received a subsidy of €80,000 in 2022 as part of an investment project in agricultural machinery for a walnut orchard covering about four hectares.

He Does Not Hide Support for the KLA, but Disliked the Protest in The Hague

He does not hide his affinity for the KLA and is a frequent guest of its former members, as can be seen in posts on his social media.
However, he criticized the September gathering held in support of former KLA leaders in The Hague, saying it could negatively affect the trial.
“Personally, I believe—without wanting to prejudge or influence any matter of the judicial system we established as a society—that such an event, such as a protest where part of the fence in The Hague is being torn down, shames us and could harm the process and the former KLA leaders who are in the middle of legal proceedings. Honestly, I did not follow everything. What I saw were images from the protest that I did not like. All of this could negatively affect the judicial process,” Peci said two months ago.