KDI: Elections can be held in northern municipalities after three months if deadlines are followed

Eugen Cakoli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) has told Online Economy that early elections in Kosovo's four northern municipalities could be held after three months minimally, if all deadlines are followed

He has said how KDI has assessed that the right solution for going to elections in these municipalities would be the resignation of the mayors, but that, according to him, the political goal of the ruling party and Prime Minister Albin Kurti has been achieved.

Cackolli has said that after accepting a petition from the Central Election Commission (KQZ), it is up to the CEC to see if those signatures are valid and the quota of 20 percent has been reached.

According to him, if it is found that this threshold has been reached, the CEC will need to first announce the head of the Municipal Parliament, the respective mayor of the municipality and the Ministry of Management of Local Power that has reached this threshold and then start procedures for organising the voting process.

Because the signing collection phase has been completed, it is now generally of the Central Election Commission to first translate these signatures in the sense of proving whether these people signed on petition are voters in the corresponding municipality and if the quota of 20 %s has been reached. If this threshold is found to have been reached, then the Central Election Commission will have to first announce the head of the Municipal Assembly, the respective mayor of the municipality, and the Ministry of Management of Local Power that has achieved this threshold and that procedures are initiated for organising the voting process”.

“If it doesn't have a formal name it's a kind of mini-referendum where citizens will come out and mark their vote whether or not they are for the mayors to leave their position”, he said.

Chocolate has said the new mayors of northern municipalities can be elected in about three months, if all deadlines are followed and all legal conditions are met, especially those for the 50% plus 1 vote threshold.

He has said that if these deadlines are not met, then this initiative will fail and the same cannot be repeated for at least a year.

“I believe we can have new chair elected in the voting processes sometime after about 3 months minimally if all deadlines are followed and in case all legal conditions are met, especially those for the 50% plus 1 vote for the removal of the mayors. Until this is achieved, then unless it is considered a failure as the initiative, the same cannot be repeated for at least a year. And which means that it won't be able to repeat at all during this mandate because in the last six months of the chairman's mandate, even if the mayor's position remains the odds remain, it is because the elections are also announced not to organise parallel voting process at least”, he has said.

He said how KDI has estimated from the beginning that the ideal solution would be to offer resignations on the part of the mayors, so not spending time and budget.

He said that the political goal of the ruling party, and in particular of Prime Minister Kurti, has been achieved in this process. According to him, he is carrying the message to the Serbs that, in case the rules are not implemented, then in the north even fewer percentages we may have mayors who do not represent the majority of the population there.

“From the very beginning we have seen as positive and encouraging the fact that Serbian citizens are participating in this process. We've estimated that it's not necessary to spend twice the time and twice the budget, so it will have to be spent first on leaving the mayors because it's an almost orderly voting process and then the process for the election of new mayors. We have believed that the ideal solution would be to resign from the mayors. But in such a situation I believe that the political goal of the ruling party and in particular the prime minister who has attempted has been achieved, I believe to convey the message that, in cases of then failing to implement the rules in the north, even fewer percentages could have been reached, which, although not representing the majority of the population there, can at least stay in the office until Serbian citizens who have boycotted the voting process do not submit to legal procedures for the removal of the heads of”, he said.