What are the mayors doing in the north?

Until the option of the new local elections in northern Kosovo is mentioned, Albanian mayors of four Serb majority municipalities there say they are carrying out the tasks the mandate requires.

These mayors have emerged from the April 23rd extraordinary elections in northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, but with less than 4% voter support. The Serb majority population, following its political representatives' calls, has boycotted those elections.

The entry of Albanian mayors into municipal facilities on May 26th, despite the resistance of local residents, has caused tensions in the area, which continue today.

The situation has been calmer only in northern Mitrovica, where the city's object is divided physically according to the Kosovo and Serbian system. In the other three municipalities, those items were used by former Serbian mayors.

For the suspension of the situation, the international community has called for the withdrawal of Albanian mayors and the holding of new local elections for which no response has yet been received in practice by Kosovo institutions.

Zaqiri from the village of Caber: We're completing the cabinet.

Contacted by Radio Free Europe, the chairman of Zubin Potok, Izmir Zeqiri, says that as a result of the situation created, it is currently exercising its duty by the Office for Communities in the village of Chaber of this municipality.

He shows that he is at the conclusion of the cabinet completion, which, he says, will have 14 directors from education to health.

We'll start with the priorities that citizens of this municipality have. We're going to start with small jobs, but which are important”, Zeqiri says.

He says, so far, he has not received any requests from citizens for any municipal service. But, as it puts it, there are some previous requirements that have been under way, that are under consideration among themselves, the asphalt of several roads, and the lighting in some rural neighborhoods.

Zeqiri also says that there have been meetings with several other mayors, such as North Mitrovica, Vushtrri and Drenas, and that they are in the process of signing some understanding agreements in various areas.

Peci from the village of Lip. We have demands from residents.

For the same reason, Zvecan Mayor Ilir Peci says he is working from the Office for Communities in the village of Lip in this municipality.

He too says he is at the top completion of the cabinet and that, at the same time, he is accepting requests from Albanian residents of several villages.

“We have visited the village of Zzeja and there have been calls for the construction of two houses for two Albanian families. We've seen that they need these houses and we're seeing what procedures we need to pursue as a municipality for their building”, says Pec for Radio Free Europe.

Another request made by citizens, he adds, is to clean up the streets of several villages.

Leposavic Mayor Lulzim Hetemi did not respond to Radio Free Europe's interest in discussing his activities.

Like North Mitrovica Chairman Erden Attic. However, he has posted on his Facebook account some of his activities, including the appointment of “several directors of municipal directors”.

Another post of his own says the North Mitrovica municipality has operated E-Kiskun platform that enables citizens to be equipped easier and faster with civil documents.

According to Attic, this service existed even in the past, but it has not been functional.

Attic has said earlier that the focus of his work will be: local economic development and delivery of effective services to citizens.

What does civil society say?

Bekim Salihu, senior researcher at the Institute for Advanced GAP Research and local government connoisseur, says the mayors in the north, in legislative terms, are all powerful, but, in practical terms, have difficulty performing tasks.

“As a result, it cannot be expected that the mayors have full power on the ground, especially in capital investments, as there are residents who resist the authority of the current mayors, and this will undoubtedly cause restrictions and lack of results on the ground”, Salihu tells Radio Free Europe.

According to him, exercise tasks outside municipal buildings does not pose any problems.

The law on self-rule, Salihu explains, specifys that the mayors must be residents of those municipalities, but it does not say anywhere that they must be at the relevant public sites.

“Madje, good governance recommendations say that mayors should be more on the ground than in the offices and, as a result, their mandate and function do not link to the relevant object to exercise the task”, Salihu says.

Prime Minister Kurti insists that the new Albanian mayors of municipalities in the north should exercise their duties from municipal objects, arguing they are property of the Republic of Kosovo.

The four municipalities in the north have been without mayors since early November, when Serb until then leaders have resigned, as a sign of dissatisfaction with a Kosovo government decision to reregister Serbian illegal license plates.

Serbian political representatives have later asked the majority population there to boycott the April 23rd elections, arguing that central power has failed to meet their demands for more autonomy.