Who Will Lose Out Due to the Reduction in the Number of Municipal Assembly Members in Northern Kosovo?

Following the local elections in October, decisions in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo will be made by 15 assembly members instead of 19. This reduction in the number of citizen representatives in the north is based on last year's census results—which Serbs boycotted—making the data unreliable. Paradoxically, the reduction will mostly impact other, smaller communities in the north—namely Albanians, Bosniaks, and others, experts told Kosovo Online.

Written by: Dusica Radeka Djordjevic

Ahead of the regular local elections scheduled for October 12, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that, under the Law on Local Self-Government, the number of members in a municipal assembly should be proportional to the population of the municipality—except for the Assembly of the Municipality of Pristina.

If a municipality has up to 10,000 residents, the assembly consists of 15 members; between 10,001 and 20,000 residents, 19 members; and from 20,001 to 30,000, 21 members…

Thus, in North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok, the number of assembly members has been reduced by four, based on the 2024 census, which shows North Mitrovica has 7,920 residents, Zvecan 2,867, Leposavic 9,485, and Zubin Potok 3,385.

According to the same census, Gracanica has 18,486 residents and retains 19 assembly members, as does Štrpce, where 10,771 citizens were recorded.

Only 15 assembly members in North Mitrovica, according to its current deputy chairman Skender Sadiku, cannot reflect the true diversity of the communities living there.

He believes minority communities will be the ones losing out.

"If the Serbian community does not boycott the elections, mathematically most assembly members will be Serbs, which is not good because minority communities—especially Albanians, but also others—will suffer. With a larger number of seats, perhaps all communities would be represented—maybe there would be space in the Assembly for Gorani, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians. There are even those who identify as Montenegrins. North Mitrovica is the only multiethnic city in Kosovo, and I would like to see candidates from all communities participating and freely voting," Sadiku told Kosovo Online.

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic agrees that the reduction will primarily affect non-majority communities in the four northern municipalities—Albanians, Bosniaks, etc.—as they will have fewer chances of winning a seat.

As for Serbs, he said, the primary concern is for them to return to these institutions.

"Srpska Lista and other Serbian parties could win all the mandates," Gogic said.

Which Numbers to Trust?

Although the 2024 census states that 7,920 people live in North Mitrovica, Sadiku points out that the number of registered voters in the last election was over 20,000 and that there had even been discussions about increasing the number of seats—yet the opposite happened: they were reduced from 19 to 15.

Mathematically, one assembly member is allocated per 1,000 residents, he noted, but added that "only God knows" how many people actually live in North Mitrovica.

"Realistically, we should have had at least 21 assembly members since the number is supposed to be odd. We thought these local elections would bring that increase, not a reduction. But then again, if we take into account that the majority Serbian population boycotted the census, it's hard to know what numbers to trust. Ideally, as many people as possible should be represented," said Sadiku.

According to Gogic, there are no reliable population data for the northern municipalities because the census last year wasn’t properly conducted—either due to the Serbian boycott or lack of enumerators.

A similar situation occurred in 2011, he added, when the census was not properly carried out in Serbian areas. Back then, the competent agency provided estimates based on voter registries and OSCE projections.

"This time, that wasn’t the case—there are no alternative data sources—so the Kosovo Agency of Statistics issued its own estimate of the population in the northern municipalities and treated it as census results. According to this, each municipality in the north has fewer than 10,000 residents. Of course, it’s questionable how those estimates were reached. But the CEC can’t do anything about it. It cannot question or request a review of the census results," Gogic said.

He emphasized that the census figures used by the Statistical Agency should have been challenged because they will not only determine the number of municipal assembly seats but also affect budget transfers.

"For example, Gracanica will have 19 assembly members because the census reported nearly 19,000 residents. But even there, complaints were made during the census—some citizens wanted to be counted and weren’t—so the real population might be higher, which could have entitled them to more assembly members. This is a general issue in Serbian communities," he concluded.
Although the Central Election Commission reduced the number of assembly members in the four northern municipalities, political analyst Shkëlzen Maliqi believes that it is unlikely someone other than Serbs will take power in these predominantly Serbian areas—assuming Serbs don’t boycott the elections again.

He also pointed out that issues concerning minorities in Kosovo—such as determining the number of assembly members in majority-Serb municipalities—cannot be decided unilaterally. According to both the Ahtisaari Plan and Kosovo’s laws, mutual agreement is required.
If anyone has been harmed by the decision to reduce assembly members, he told Kosovo Online, they can file a petition or appeal to the relevant institutions.

"Dialogue can also be the forum where this is resolved. But the Community of Serb Municipalities and, more broadly, the resolution of the status of the Serbian minority in Kosovo imply that such matters cannot be resolved without minority participation and voting. That applies to all minorities in normal democratic states—and we, not just Kosovo but the entire Balkans, are not there yet," Maliqi said.