President Thaci postpones extraordinary elections in the north

The current chairman, Goran Rakiq, has been named Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Power in the Hoti Government. Because of this, the North would have to hold the extraordinary election for the mayor.

Gazeta Express sources have indicated that Thaci has taken the decision to postpone extraordinary elections for the chairman of the North Mitrovica municipality.

“In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the number of infected persons in the Republic of Kosovo, as well as to preserve public health, the extraordinary elections for mayor of the North Mitrovica municipality, following the resignation of the mayor, are postponed for an indefinite”, this source has said.

Goran Rakic, who is also chairman of northern Mitrovica, has been elected deputy prime minister and local government minister in the new government.

Rakiq has been elected mayor of northern Mitrovica in the extraordinary elections in May of last year.

These elections have followed the resignations of mayors of these municipalities, on November 26th of last year, in protest of the Kosovo Government's decision to impose a 100 per cent tax on imports of Serbia and Bosnia.

After Rakiq resigned, however, he had again run for chairman of northern Mitrovica, where he had won the election.

The same fate as North Mitrovica had Podujevo. The mayor of this municipality, Agim Veliu, was elected on 3 February this year, Minister of Internal Affairs at the Kurti Government.

The extraordinary elections in Podujevo have not yet been held, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.