Second round of mayoral elections: Who are the rivals?

Tomorrow, voters will decide who will lead 18 municipalities that did not elect mayors in the first round of elections held on October 12. Among Albanian parties, Self-Determination is competing in the largest number of municipalities, in 12 of them, followed by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with candidates in nine municipalities, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with six, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) with five candidates.

The second round of elections will take place in Djakovica, Gjilane, Dragas, Kacanik, Klina, Kosovo Polje, South Mitrovica, Obilic, Orahovac, Pec, Pristina, Prizren, Suva Reka, Vitina, Vucitrn, Junik, Mamusa, and Klokot.

The only Serb-majority municipality where voting will take place tomorrow is Klokot, but under specific circumstances. Namely, six days before the elections, Srecko Spasic, who ran in the first round as the candidate of the Civic Initiative Serbian National Unity, announced that he was withdrawing from the race after joining the Serb List. This means that the only effective candidate for mayor is Bozidar Dejanovic from the Serb List, although Spasic’s name will still appear on the ballot because voting materials had already been printed before his decision to withdraw.

In the most populous city in Kosovo, Pristina, the runoff will be between the incumbent mayor Perparim Rama from LDK and Hajrulla Ceku from Self-Determination, who entered the race from his position as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in the “Kurti 2” government. In the first round, the difference between them was 518 votes. Rama received 33.71 percent (35,595 votes), while Ceku had 33.21 percent (35,077 votes).

A close race is also expected in South Mitrovica, where the two candidates who advanced to the runoff were separated by only 122 votes on October 12. The contenders are Faton Peci from Self-Determination, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development in the “Kurti 2” government, who led the first round with 47.94 percent (15,830 votes), and Arian Tahiri from PDK, who had 47.57 percent (15,708 votes). In this municipality, LDK and AAK also had candidates in the first round, but both parties have since formed a coalition with Tahiri for the second round.

In Djakovica, the current mayor Ardian Gjini from AAK will try to secure another term. In the first round, he won 47.53 percent or 19,974 votes. His opponent is Ardian Gola from Self-Determination, who received 31.89 percent (13,403 votes) on October 12.

In Gjilane, the contest is between Alban Hyseni from Self-Determination, who had 49.8 percent (22,264 votes) in the first round, and Arben Ismajli from LDK, who received 34.29 percent (15,332 votes).

In Dragas, the candidates are Bexhet Xheladini from LDK (45.62 percent – 6,670 votes) and Shaban Shabani from PDK (28.05 percent – 4,102 votes).

In this municipality, a coalition agreement for the second round was reached between PDK, Self-Determination, the Vakat coalition, and Nexhmedin Sejdilar, who ran as an independent in the first round.

In Kacanik: Sabedin Vishi from PDK (39.61 percent – 6,827 votes) and Jeton Raka from Self-Determination (37.94 percent – 6,540 votes).

In Klina: Zenun Elezaj from AAK (48.47 percent – 9,109 votes) and Sokol Bashota from PDK (35.41 percent – 6,655 votes).

In Kosovo Polje: Valon Prebreza from Self-Determination (45.15 percent – 9,733 votes) and Besnik Osmani from LDK (36.66 percent – 7,902 votes).

In Obilic: Xhafer Gashi from LDK (46.2 percent – 5,859 votes) and Halil Thaci from Self-Determination (44.37 percent – 5,626 votes).

In Orahovac: Smajl Latifi from AAK (37.18 percent – 8,078 votes) and Ali Dula from Self-Determination (23.93 percent – 5,199 votes).

In Pec: Gazmend Muhaxheri from LDK (46.25 percent – 19,786 votes) and Taulant Kelmendi from Self-Determination (27.78 percent – 11,883 votes).

In Prizren: Shaqir Totaj from PDK (41.45 percent – 26,427 votes) and Artan Abrashi from Self-Determination (30.39 percent – 19,375 votes). 

Totaj, who is the incumbent mayor, has formed a coalition with LDK for the runoff.

In Suva Reka: Bali Muharremaj from AAK (45.42 percent – 12,937 votes) and Ardian Shala from LDK (31.32 percent – 8,922 votes).

In Vitina: Sokol Haliti from LDK (38.01 percent – 7,874 votes) and Arsim Ademi from Self-Determination (33.46 percent – 6,930 votes).

Before the runoff, AAK and Self-Determination signed a local-level coalition agreement.

In Vucitrn: Ferit Idrizi from PDK (45.24 percent – 13,799 votes) and Sulejman Meholli from Self-Determination (30.81 percent – 9,399 votes).

In this municipality, LDK has entered a coalition with Self-Determination.

In Junik: Ruzhdi Shehu from LDK (48.89 percent – 1,807 votes) and Agron Kuci from AAK (38.88 percent – 1,437 votes).

In Mamusa: Abdulhadi Krasniqi from the Democratic Turkish Party of Kosovo (49.80 percent – 1,634 votes) and Fikret Morina from the People’s Movement of Mamusha with 48.83 percent (1,602 votes) in the first round.

The official campaign for the second round of local elections began on November 3 and will last until the polling stations open tomorrow at 7 a.m.

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), voting will take place in 525 polling centers across a total of 1,648 polling stations.

The voters’ list has been updated since the first round, including 1,690 new voters who gained the right to vote between October 13 and November 9 upon turning 18. At the same time, around 1,150 individuals have been removed from the list for having renounced Kosovo citizenship or having died between early September and the last week of October.

In 20 municipalities, new mayors were already elected in the first round on October 12.

Of those, the Serb List won in nine municipalities – North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, Leposavic, Gracanica, Partes, Novo Brdo, Ranilug, and Strpce. Self-Determination won in Kamenica, Podujev,o and Stimlje, PDK in Srbica, Urosevac, and General Jankovic, LDK in Istok and Lipljane, AAK in Decane, Nisma in Maliseva, while the mayor of Glogovac became Ramiz Lladrovci from the list “For the Champion of Glogovac with Ramiz Lladrovci.”