SURVEY: Citizens of North Mitrovica expect elections for new mayors soon

Citizens of North Mitrovica, after the demands for initiating a petition to dismiss the four mayors in northern Kosovo were submitted to the competent authorities, soon expect elections in that municipality because, as they state, they are dissatisfied with the work of the Albanian mayor. 

In a conversation with Kosovo Online, citizens emphasized their dissatisfaction with the currently elected representatives who come from Albanian political parties, which received only a few percentage points in elections boycotted by the Serbs in northern Kosovo.

"Society in Kosovo is multiethnic, and in that society, everyone should have equal rights. However, the EU does not recognize the rights of the Serbs. It accepts some decisions that are outside normal circumstances. Where can five or six people come out and represent a people? The Serbs are a thousand-year-old people, so they should have rights as they do in Europe. America is 200 years old, and all nations and ethnicities have rights. I don't know what the Serbs in the territory of Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija are, are they extraterrestrials? Or some monsters? I don't know what Europe is afraid of to protect the people who have been living here for centuries", one of the citizens said.

Rada Mirkovic says there are people who are suitable to be the mayor of North Mitrovica.

"I don't deal with it, but I am a citizen of Mitrovica. Now, for example, if they are good, let them stay, if they are not, let them go. It shouldn't be, there are people who can be here and who are from this side, let them do what they want there. And for the elections, I would be the first to go and I will be the first to go", Mirkovic emphasizes.

Vesna Kuzmanovic also confirmed to us about the anticipation of elections.

"To be honest, I don't know, I haven't looked, because I am busy, my husband follows it more. We expect local elections, but now I don't know what will happen", Kuzmanovic said.

One of the citizens emphasizes that greater engagement should come from the international community, which must protect the Serbs, and that the rights of the Serbs in northern Kosovo are not respected.
In the past week, residents of all four municipalities in the north – North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok, repeatedly tried to submit a petition to dismiss four Albanian mayors in Serbian communities who received just over three percent of the vote in the last local elections.

They tried to submit the requests to the presidents of the municipal assemblies because that is precisely what the Administrative Instruction drafted by the Government in Pristina in the summer envisions to hold local elections for mayors again, but in all municipalities, they initially refused to accept that request.

In the coming days, residents managed to hand over the requests to the presidents of the Municipal Assembly, and their response is expected next week.