Gogic: Pristina should initiate the resignations of mayors and councilors

Political analyst Ognjen Gogic believes that it is in everyone's interest to reach new elections in the four municipalities in the north through the resignations of mayors and councilors, and he points out that the international community plays a crucial role in making such a decision, as it has the mechanisms to facilitate it.

Gogic, speaking to Kosovo Online, notes that following the events in Banjska, the Serbian side has now agreed to participate in the elections and return to institutions in the north of Kosovo without setting additional conditions.

The Serb List recently called on authorities in Pristina to announce new elections for the four northern municipalities as soon as possible, with a message that they are ready to participate. They demanded that the illegitimately elected Albanian mayors and councilors resign.

"Previously, the Serbian side's stance was that regardless of how new elections would be conducted, they would not participate. What has happened in the meantime is that the Serbian side has accepted returning to local institutions in northern Kosovo, and this may represent a step toward resolving the crisis. However, the question now remains as to how to reach these new elections," Gogic said.

Organizing early elections is a demand set by both Brussels and Washington for the Kosovo authorities as a step toward de-escalating the situation in the north. This is expected to be one of the key topics in today's talks between the "big five" envoys from the EU, the US, Germany, France, and Italy with the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo.

However, Gogic points out that the two sides are far apart on the method of reaching new elections.

Namely, Gogic states that the Serbian side believes that it would be best for mayors and councilors to resign, while Pristina's stance is that new voting should be achieved through a petition or a referendum in those municipalities.

"The international community is favorable to the idea of resignations because it is a faster way and would expedite the process. The international community's stance will likely be crucial because since the Serbian side has made a concession by agreeing to return to the electoral process without further conditions for re-entry into institutions, then Pristina can make a concession or compromise by not insisting on an administrative directive for the removal of mayors," he notes.

Gogic emphasizes that one thing is being overlooked, and that is that the administrative directive doesn't resolve the issue of councilors in municipal assemblies.

"An administrative directive would only address the issue of mayors, it's a means to replace mayors, but alongside mayors, there are municipal assemblies and councilors, so it wouldn't be a comprehensive solution to simply replace mayors and leave councilors. That wouldn't work," he stresses.

He states that the only way councilors can be replaced before their mandates expire is if they resign themselves, because the administrative directive doesn't address that issue.

"The most rational approach would be for mayors and councilors to resign, and since there is already a willingness on the Serbian side to return to institutions, new elections should be organized. The international community has the mechanisms to facilitate this, primarily due to the sanctions against Kosovo, and this could be part of an agreement to lift or ease sanctions in exchange for Pristina accepting elections through resignations, as anything else would complicate matters," he adds.

According to him, the administrative directive also has a complicated procedure, as it doesn't cover the issue of councilors, and the process would take longer. He says that there are opinions that it may not be legally valid and that even the Constitutional Court might question the administrative directive and the procedures within it.

"So, it's in everyone's interest to reach elections through resignations, and the international community plays a crucial role in making it happen," Gogic concludes.