Disappoint in drafting the petition Administrative Guide, deadline is extended for four days

So they have declared on Thursday, August 31st, officials from the Ministry of Management of Local Power (MAPL) of the Government of Kosovo.

Earlier, officials of this ministry had declared that the task force for drafting administrative guidance would finish the work on August 31st, so that Local Power Management Minister Elbert Krasniqi would sign it on September 1st.

Murtezani's belief, deputy head of the legal department and monitoring of municipalities within the MAPL, tells Radio Free Europe that in public discussion concerning the draft administrative instruction, which started on 26 and lasted until 31 August, a series of remarks and suggestions have been accepted.

“We've been working today and we've injected most of the observations and suggestions. We have left. We have a few more remarks left that we can upload and prepare the final draft so that we can proceed to the minister (Krasnici) for signing”, Murtezan stressed.

He added that in terms of the need for additional time, for finalising the final draft, Minister Krasniqi has informed him, but all other actors involved in the process as well.

As he stressed, the final draft will be ready on Tuesday, September 5th, and he will immediately proceed with Minister Krasniqi to sign it.

Earlier, Minister Krasniqi has declared that administrative instruction will be ready on 1 September.

Such a document comes at a time when the European Union is earnestly asking Kosovo to announce new elections in the four Serb majority municipalities in the north: Northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq.

These municipalities are currently led by Albanian mayors.

They have emerged from the April elections, which have been boycotted by the Serb majority population.

The procedure rules say that after the ministry's administrative guidance signing, it will take seven days for, after its release to the Official Gazette, to take effect.

After the introduction of this administrative directive, citizens of four municipalities in northern Kosovo could immediately initiate the petition for the removal of the current mayors of those municipalities.

If the collection of 20 per cent of voters' signatures is achieved by petition initiatives, then the Central Election Commission verify voters' signatures and organises voting in the municipality or municipalities that have initiated a petition.

A municipality mayor's dismissal requires 50 percent plus 1 vote from the general number of eligible municipality voters.

If the outcome of the vote requires the dismissal of the mayors, then it is sent to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who has a legal deadline of 30 to 45 days for announcing extraordinary elections.

Under the local self-government Law, in early elections for mayor of the municipality, one can go if the current mayor resigns; in case citizens seek the mayor's dismissal through a petition signed by 20 per cent of the respective municipality's voters, as well as if the mayor does not appear at the workplace more than a month, without reason.

Although the eventual resignation of the mayors of four municipalities in northern Kosovo would speed up the procedures of going to extraordinary elections, Kosovo authorities have stressed that they would not demand this for the current mayors.

According to them, elections in these municipalities can only be held after the dismissal of current mayors through a petition signed by 20 per cent of the voters of each of these municipalities.