Gogic: Mayors in the north have exercised their mandates in a limited capacity

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic believes that the Albanian mayors, elected two years ago in municipalities in northern Kosovo, have exercised their mandates in a limited capacity because local governments never established the necessary staffing potential after Serbs resigned from municipal positions. He also notes that, with the exception of North Mitrovica, it seemed the mayors hesitated to take measures that were known to be opposed by the Serb majority in those municipalities.

According to him, the municipality of North Mitrovica was the most controversial in terms of decisions made, not only by the mayor but also by the municipal assembly.

“They made decisions that were met with opposition from the local population. This primarily refers to placing certain properties belonging to the municipality at the disposal of the central government, such as handing over some buildings to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, despite opposition from the Serb community. Also, all municipalities took symbolic steps, like changing signs, flags, and coats of arms displayed on their buildings, which did irritate the local population. On the other hand, those municipalities also tried to appease both the local population and the Western international community by measures such as providing social and financial assistance to various segments of the population, as a gesture of goodwill,” Gogic stated.

In the municipality of North Mitrovica, he added, there were decisions regarding public order and infrastructure projects that drew mixed reactions from the population; some were welcomed, while others were perceived as provocations, such as redefining regulations for hospitality and retail businesses or decisions about roadworks.

“Generally, Serbs showed clear dissatisfaction in the first year with the fact that the mayors were from the Albanian community. In the second year, after the referendum that Serbs boycotted, that dissatisfaction was less visible. They have learned to live with it,” Gogic said, adding that these local governments never functioned properly, neither during the time when Serbs led them, nor afterward.

For this reason, he believes that once the local government changes following the elections expected in October, a serious effort will be needed to build both staffing and professional capacities in these municipalities so they can serve the citizens effectively.

Gogic expects that parties from the Albanian and Bosniak communities will certainly continue mobilizing their supporters and will try to retain power in the October elections or maintain as much representation as possible in municipal assemblies in northern Kosovo.

“Regardless of the numerical majority the Serbs have in those municipalities, especially if they are divided and run in multiple blocs, it won’t be easy for them to regain power. On the other hand, there is also an ongoing process of changing residences, as some members of the Albanian and Bosniak communities, who hadn’t previously lived there, are now registering residence in these municipalities. This is legal and cannot be stopped if they have a place to register, and it contributes to changes in the demographic structure. There will be a struggle to get them to turn out for the elections, and in North Mitrovica, it has already been shown that these communities, Albanian, Bosniak, and even Roma, are very politically active. So the Serbs will have to take this process of returning to institutions very seriously,” he stated.

At the same time, he points out that before the local elections, the relevant institutions will need to promptly address the legal dilemma of whether elections should be called for the municipal assemblies of Zvecan and Leposavic.

“Kosovo’s legislation stipulates that mayoral elections are held on a fixed four-year schedule, regardless of whether snap elections were held in the meantime. However, for municipal assemblies, that is not the case, and there is no law stating that their mandate ends every four years. In 2023, local elections were held in the municipalities of Zvecan and Leposavic, while in Zubin Potok and North Mitrovica, candidates from Albanian parties took over the mandates of Serbs, and in those cases, it is clear that new local elections should be held. But elections for councilors in Zvecan and Leposavic are questionable, and this could be a potential source of crisis because there is a legal vacuum and no legal resolution for this dilemma,” Gogic concluded.