Two more weeks for signing signatures for mayors' dismissal

Citizens of the majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, Northern Mitrovica, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok have yet 12 days left for the collection of signatures needed for the dismissal of Albanian mayors of their respective municipalities, Kosovo Local Power Management Minister Elbert Krasniqi announced.

In the next northern municipality, Zvecan, the signing gathering began later, he said, without telling exactly when.

Albanian leaders settled in their officials in the four Serb majority municipalities following controversial and boycotted elections by local Serbs in April last year, boosting tensions in that part of the country.

Kosovo compiled an administrative directive that enabled citizens of these municipalities to ask for the dismissal of their respective municipalities through petition.

We've had a meeting with QUINT and EU diplomats on the issue. Citizens in the country's north in December have already launched their first request, and signing collection is under way. We have four groups of citizens in the north of the country that have been authorized for collecting signatures”, Krasniqi said on Wednesday.

He said that citizens in northern Mitrovica, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok began collecting signatures on December 22nd, and, according to administrative direction, they have until January 22nd to gather 20 per cent of the voters' signatures in their respective municipalities to be possible by the mayor.

Steps to Elections, by Command

The administrative guidance for the removal of the mayor, issued by the Local Power Management Ministry, envisions these steps:

The demand should be made by the so-called initiative group, which consists of three or more persons with a fair vote in the respective municipality.
This group announces the mayor of the municipal assembly in question, and equipment with the necessary documentation.
The group then needs to collect a minimum of 20 percent of the citizens' signatures with the right to vote at the request for the mayor's departure.
The list of signatures should be sent to the mayor of the municipal assembly, which later ends at the Central Election Commission.
If the CEC estimates the conditions have been met, elections for the mayor's departure are held.
If 50 percent plus 1 votes are provided for the mayor's departure, he leaves his post and new elections are organised. Otherwise, the initiative fails. It could only be repeated in a year.
Based on the final list of voters for the April elections, it would be, to get the petition forward, in northern Mitrovica, 3,600 signatures, in Leposaviq 2,600 signatures, in Zvecan 1,400 signatures, and in Zubin Potok 1,300 signatures. Under the Law on Local Self - Rule, early elections for mayors can be held on three occasions:

if the current chairman resigns
if citizens ask for his dismissal through petition,
If the mayor doesn't show up at the workplace for over a month, no reason.