Markovic: Only mayors' resignations can quickly resolve the crisis in the north

Political analyst Igor Markovic from North Mitrovica believes that the chances of holding elections in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo in the near future are slim because the administrative directive for the dismissal of mayors, which Pristina insists on, only prolongs the political crisis in the north.

"The resignation of mayors would be the least painful way to resolve the current political deadlock in the north. I firmly believe that the administrative directive will only delay the resolution of this political crisis on the ground," Markovic stated.

The problem with organizing new elections for local authorities is the poor security situation.

"Given the current fragile security conditions, it is very difficult to expect citizens to respond not only to the call of the Serb List but to any actor to participate in the elections. They are not aware of the consequences of the situation from September 24 in Banjska. On the other hand, I believe that the international community will exert a certain amount of pressure on Pristina to hold elections under circumstances that are contrary to those in which the previous elections were held. So, not in containers, but in legal polling stations," Markovic said.

The Serb List recently requested that illegitimately elected Albanian mayors and councilors resign and that the authorities in Pristina promptly call new elections for the four municipalities in the north, with the message that they were ready to participate.

Organizing snap 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, so it 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.

Messages that the resignations of mayors would be the best solution also come from EU officials, and Markovic agrees with this, emphasizing that from the beginning of the crisis, it was most logical for municipal presidents to step down from their positions and thus open up space for holding a normal electoral cycle.

"It is obvious that parties, both ruling and opposition, do not want to risk losing votes by calling on their mayors who were elected in the north to resign because it would be seen as a kind of defeat in the eyes of the public. If Self-Determination were to call on Mr. Erden Atiq, the mayor of North Mitrovica, to resign, that would be presented as a retreat or a concession to the Serbian side," Markovic said.

According to him, publishing the administrative directive for the dismissal of mayors was a political maneuver by Pristina to buy time.

"The Law on Elections and the Law on Local Self-Government precisely define the ways to dismiss mayors at the local level. Pristina wanted to buy time to find a solution that would suit them best, considering the need for the mayors in the north to be replaced. Once again, we return to the argument that Pristina did not want to change the current political power in the north, and that is why they tried to resolve the issue administratively," he said.

An additional problem is, as Markovic explains, that the administrative directive itself claims to be valid for the entire Kosovo.

"This can have political implications for other municipalities, and I assume that opposition parties at the local level throughout Kosovo will seize this opportunity. I also assume that it is a kind of trap for Self-Determination and the current government in Pristina," he emphasizes.