One hundred days since the return of Serbian mayors in the north: Expectations, plans, and obstructions

On one side, there are high expectations from citizens; on the other, interference from the central level. This is how interlocutors of Kosovo Online assess the first hundred days of work of Serbian mayors in four municipalities in the north, who returned to office after nearly three years during which Albanian politicians held power. Decisions adopted during the tenure of Albanian mayors—assessed as not being in the citizens’ interest—are being revised, while municipalities are simultaneously exposed to obstruction by the police and certain ministries. It is also noted that there is a growing trend of central authorities attempting to strip municipalities of some of their competences.

Written by: Dusica Radeka Djordjevic

The Serbian mayors, elected in local elections on October 12 last year—Milan Radojevic in North Mitrovica, Dragisa Milovic in Zvecan, Milos Perovic in Zubin Potok, and Zoran Todic in Leposavic—assumed office on December 5.

At that time, Albanian mayors elected in April 2023 in elections boycotted by Serbs stepped down.

“We waited a long time for change,” Nikola Vitorovic from North Mitrovica told Kosovo Online reporters.

“We endured various pressures from Kurti’s authorities. Now our mayor has come and they have started working. I know they are facing severe pressure and obstruction in their work, and I hope that, with the help of the European Union, they will implement the plans they have set,” he said.

Over the past hundred days, Dejan Milic has not noticed significant improvement and expects greater investment in infrastructure.

“They should make more effort to enable a richer cultural and sports life,” Milic noted.

Dragoljub Perunicic identified water supply as the biggest problem facing Leposavic.

“The biggest problem in summer is water… Sometimes there is none, sometimes the pressure is low,” he said.

According to Kosovo’s budget for this year, adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo in February, no ministry has allocated funds for municipalities with a Serbian majority—either in the north or the south.
MP of the Serb List Igor Simic described this as frontal pressure on Serbs, noting that none of the nine amendments proposing investment in capital projects in Serb-majority municipalities were adopted, including projects such as the construction of a cultural center in North Mitrovica and addressing water supply in Leposavic.

Dusan Radakovic from the NGO Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture (ACDC) stated that Serbian mayors, during their first hundred days in office, faced a multitude of problems and obstruction from the police, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Local Government.

“Over the past three years, during the rule of Albanian mayors, significant damage was done in the north. The new mayors are facing many problems and will certainly continue to face them. Obstruction is a major issue. We have seen obstruction by the police, where inspections attempt to act in accordance with Kosovo law, but the police prevent them, while at the same time there are also obstructions from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Local Government,” Radakovic stated.

Speaking about North Mitrovica, he noted that the municipality may have been slower in addressing issues than citizens expected, but that resolving problems gradually might be more effective, as a rapid approach would likely lead to stronger pressure from Albanian media and institutions and increased blockages.

He assessed that one hundred days is too short a period to complete everything necessary and expressed confidence that the municipality will soon tackle these challenges more decisively.

“During these hundred days, the municipality has been trying to adapt to the current situation. I believe a hand of cooperation was extended when representatives attended a meeting with the Minister of Local Government, but we do not see that same willingness from the ministry. I expect that to change, because due to the laws on foreigners and vehicles, part of the burden will also fall on the mayors’ offices,” Radakovic said.

He believes that a difficult period lies ahead for all four municipal administrations.

“I sincerely hope they will try to resolve certain matters in the most lawful way possible and, if feasible, restore some things to their previous state. The next six to seven months will be very turbulent, and I expect additional pressure from ministries and central authorities on local self-government,” he added.
At the same time, he appealed to the police to cooperate with municipalities, emphasizing that they represent legitimate structures elected by citizens.

“When those in power had only three percent support, the police acted differently. I believe it is now reasonable for the police to cooperate with municipalities, as that is in accordance with the law,” Radakovic stated.

The direction of relations between the new local authorities and the Kosovo Police was already evident in January, on Christmas Eve, when a banner with the traditional greeting “Peace of God, Christ is born” was placed in the center of North Mitrovica by decision of Mayor Milan Radojevic. The police summoned

Radojevic to the station and confiscated the banner, later returning it.

About ten days ago, the head of municipal inspection in North Mitrovica, Veljko Orlovic, was also summoned to the police to give a statement after inspectors ordered a halt to construction works at a site due to missing documentation. Orlovic responded to the summons and described the entire event as pressure on the municipality and inspectors.

Speaking about the first hundred days in Leposavic, Deputy Mayor Marko Radosavljevic said that upon taking office they encountered dysfunctional municipal services.

“We came across a budget already planned by the previous administration that does not reflect the real needs of citizens. No public consultations were organized to involve citizens in presenting problems. At the beginning, we focused on improving service efficiency and tried to open the Municipality to all citizens. It is very important for us that citizens come to the institution, present their problems, and receive answers or solutions,” Radosavljevic said.

He expressed hope for a budget revision and for projects to be developed in cooperation with citizens and based on priorities.

According to him, the main communal issues are waste collection and water supply.

“Water supply is the most urgent issue, and I believe we are on the right track to resolve it this year. We are preparing project documentation and securing cadastral formalities, after which, in cooperation with the regional water utility of Kosovo—with which we have good cooperation—we will try to implement this key project for our citizens,” he said.

He noted that municipal competences are defined by the Law on Local Self-Government, but that central authorities in Pristina increasingly attempt to take over certain competences.

“We will fight such decisions and try, through institutional means, to prevent them as much as possible,” he said.

He also highlighted that a staffing plan was adopted in December in cooperation with legal and administrative services.

“This is very important for citizens, as it means new employment opportunities in the future,” Radosavljevic said.

President of the Leposavic Municipal Assembly Marko Rakic stated that the new assembly adopted several important decisions in its first hundred days.

“The first was withdrawal from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, where we saw no interest. A decision was made on inter-municipal cooperation with the Municipality of Gracanica, and we terminated agreements concluded with the Municipality of Podujevo, the Municipality of Kamenica, and the company Trepca-Jug. We also initiated the procedure to change the symbols of the Municipality of Leposavic, as we believe that certain symbols established by the previous assembly were not in the citizens’ interest, that citizens were not involved, and that legal procedures were not followed,” Rakic said.

He recalled that an extraordinary session of the Assembly focused on security issues, reflecting citizens’ concerns over ongoing developments in recent years.

“The Assembly exists to be the voice of the people—to openly represent citizens and warn about the failure of certain institutions to act in accordance with the law,” he said.
Rakic added that the Assembly submitted an initiative to the Ministry of Infrastructure requesting an assessment of road conditions.

“We witness daily that road conditions are poor. Some works have been carried out, but nothing has been done regarding roadside infrastructure. We want transparency on who is carrying out the works, what the plans are, and when activities are scheduled. At present, we have no such information,” he pointed out.

Notably, one of the first decisions adopted by councilors in all four northern municipalities was to withdraw from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, which they had joined through decisions made by Albanian councilors in 2023.