CEC gives way to organising petitions for the departure of mayors in the north

The Central Election Commission (KQZ) has opened the way to organising petitions for the departure of mayors in three majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, after returning official responses to the call of three mayors of the municipal municipalities for relevant municipalities, commission spokesman Valmir Elez announced on Monday.

Elez said the CEC has informed the leaders of three municipal municipalities, three initiative groups and the Ministry of Management of Kosovo Local Power (MAPL), about the up-to-date number of registered voters in these municipalities “on whose base the minimum number needed signatures of 20 percent” is estimated.

“The CEC, through these three separate responses, has announced that members of three initiative groups are voters of the respective municipalities”, Elesi said.

He also pointed to the total number of citizens who rightly vote in the three municipalities of Leposaviq, North Mitrovica and Zubin Potok, as well as the exact number of voters who make up 20 percent of the voter body in each municipality, which is necessary for the dismissal of a municipality chairman through petition.

On December 7th, four initiative groups -- separately, each comprised of three citizens -- surrendered to the heads of the four municipalities in the north for the initiative and organisation of petitions for the removal of mayors.

This is one of the first steps envisioned by Administrative Guide, which MAPL took in September for the mayor's departure from office but was rejected.

North Mitrovica municipal Assembly head Nedzad Uglanin told Radio Free Europe on December 14th that the demand of the initiative groups was not accepted because they had initially announced the chairman or Central Election Commission for the formation of the petition.

They didn't do it and they didn't want to. In the meantime, that's how Administrator Guided me, said Uglan.

For the same reason, according to him, no petition initiatives had been accepted for the departure of mayors in three other municipalities -- Leposaviq, Zubin Potok and Zvecan. Those “requirements have been the same and, indiscriminately,”, Uglan said.

Albanian mayors are located at municipal facilities in the north in late May, which has sparked protests by local Serbs.

They have won the elections held in April, which are boycotted by Serbs there. /rel