Qalaj: PDK against the petition, mayors should resign

Democratic Party of Kosovo MP and former director of the Kosovo Police, Rashit Qalaj, emphasized that his party was against the dismissal of Albanian mayors in four municipalities in northern Kosovo through a citizens' petition. He pointed out that the best solution is for mayors to resign in coordination with the government, rather than having their removal decided by the Serbian community, which, he says, did not participate in the elections, Ekonomia Online reports.

He considers the collection of signatures for the mayors' dismissal a mistake and should not be taken into account.

"First of all, I want to comment on the issue of collecting signatures. You know that the DPK and DPK leaders are against this petition. They continuously called for mayors in the northern municipalities to resign in an organized manner in coordination with the government, and not to be removed by a community that did not participate in the elections. So, I think the issue of collecting signatures is a mistake," Qalaj said.

The former director of the Kosovo Police warns that tensions could arise during the electoral process, which will take place after the dismissal of mayors.

"It mostly depends on Serbia's inclinations, which has a constant tendency to raise tensions in the north," he assessed.

Qalaj emphasized that, superficially, the security situation in the north seems calm, but in essence, it is very tense, and similar incidents can be expected as last year after local elections.

"The security situation that appears calm is very tense due to the actions of the state of Serbia and President Vucic in relation to Kosovo, especially when it comes to the four northern municipalities. So, I think the situation there is very tense, and there can be similar incidents as last year," he concluded.