Kurti: We have information that elections process in the north will be hampered

During a statement to the media, Kurti said on April 18th that he is in contact with international security institutions for the election process to develop smoothly and democratically.

However, he said that official Belgrade, through the media, is scaring Serbian citizens” living in northern Kosovo.

I invite all those who have a vote to come out and vote. I know this stands in contrast to the calls coming from the capital of our northern neighbor. But we have no information that will make us think obstacles are being prepared, obstructions of this process, besides media intimidation coming from official Belgrade”, he said.

Kurti said that during talks with representatives of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSBE) and the exchange of data and analysis, they have failed to get to the information that there are obstacles to the election process on Sunday.

We hold meetings with international security institutions and are making necessary preparations for everything to go smoothly, free, fair and democraticly. I invite all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, age and background, since April 23rd, those who have the right to use it by voting for the four mayors there and there are two municipalities that will elect the new municipal assemblies. This has to happen because we need democratic legitimacy on one side, but on the other, we need institutional functioning. When municipalities have no mayor, then they do not function normally”, Kurti said.

On April 23rd, extraordinary elections for mayors of northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviqi are expected to be held, as well as early elections for the two municipal municipalities in Zvecan and Leposaviq.

The elections will be held after the mayors, along with other Serbs, resigned on November 5th last year, in sign of opposition to the Kosovo Government's decision to launch the process of reregistering Serbian vehicles with illegal license plates.

In the race for mayor of these municipalities are 11 candidates from four political subjects, of whom only two are of the Serb community. The Serbian list, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo, has not applied to participate in these elections.

Citizens in four municipalities in northern Kosovo will vote in 19 polling stations. Of them, 13 will be alternative or in containers.

Earlier, citizens in these municipalities had voted in 44 polling stations, which were located in schools. But, April 23rd elections, school voting has become impossible because they are controlled by structures working according to Serbia's system, which opposes the elections.