The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that the constitutive sessions of the Zvečan and Leposavić Municipal Assemblies will be held tomorrow, as well as the swearing-in of three new mayors of the Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić municipalities, Anadolia reports.
In his introductory speech at the beginning of today’s session of the Government of Kosovo, Kurti said that the swearing-in will take place in public buildings, without specifying which buildings.
The deadline for taking the oath is May 28, when one month expires after the confirmation of the results of the extraordinary local elections in the north of Kosovo on April 23. Due to the boycott of the Serbian community, voter turnout in those elections was low and amounted to 3.47 percent.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo reminded that yesterday it was a month since the elections were held in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, which passed peacefully and without incidents. However, as he said, due to intimidation, lynching, pressure and blackmail from official Belgrade, there was a low turnout of Serbian citizens in these elections.
“Such threatening campaigns by official Belgrade against local Serbs, especially in our four municipalities in the north of the country, are frequent and continuous. But just because something happens often and all the time does not mean that it is normal and acceptable”, said Kurti.
He pointed out that the elected mayor of North Mitrovica Erden Atiq was sworn in last Friday, while Katarina Adžančić, who comes from the Serbian community, was appointed as his deputy. He also stated that four municipal directors were appointed yesterday, one Serb, one Bosniak, and one Egyptian Albanian, two of whom are women.
Kurti said that more than six months have passed since these four municipalities were left without mayors, and two municipalities without assemblies, and the residents there without municipal services.
He assessed that this is not normal and that the actions of the Government of Kosovo are aimed at the democratic functioning of state institutions and guaranteeing public services for all citizens without distinction. Kurti said that it is not a choice, but an obligation and that the Government is committed to protecting human rights, civil liberties, the rule of law, political pluralism, peace and security in the country.
After the new mayor of North Mitrovica was sworn in last Friday, Srpska Lista announced that “if the denial of the basic rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo is not stopped”, on June 1, a decisive response from the Serbian people will follow. That deadline was given to Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, representatives of Quinta and the international community.
Ahead of the swearing-in of the mayor of Sevrno Mitrovica, the United States of America, France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom stated that there is no requirement for mayors to take the oath in municipal offices. The countries of the Quinte group, in a joint statement, called on all parties to refrain from the use of force or actions that incite tensions or conflicts.
The elections were called after the Serbs left all Kosovo institutions in the north of Kosovo, due to the decision of the Government of Kosovo on the mandatory re-registration of vehicles from old Serbian (KM) to legal RKS plates. That decision was later postponed, but the Serbian List did not return to the institutions and conditioned its return on the formation of the Community of Municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo and the withdrawal of special units of the Kosovo Police.
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