Date of voting for mayors' departure in the north, internationals welcome CEC decision

This recommendation came from the CEC Secretariat after verifying the submitted signings of the petition by the Leposaviqi, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and North Mitrovica municipalities.

According to the Secretariat, 20 percent of the signatures required by the total number of voters have been reached in these four municipalities in order to vote for the removal of municipal leaders.

The head of the CEC Secretariat, Burim Ahmetaj, said that in the Leposavisic municipality, the petition for launching procedures for the removal of the mayor has signed 3,030 people. Of them, 2,905 has been proven belonging to the residents of this municipality fairly. With this figure, 20 percent has been met, requiring the signatures of at least 2,689 persons to be collected.

In Zubin Potok, out of 1,576 signatures, 1,380 have proved to belong to citizens for fair voting. Of the total number of voters, the petition was considered valid in this municipality required that at least 1,347 signatures be collected.

As for the petition in Zvecan, he, according to the CEC, was signed by 1,834 people and 1,380 proved to belong to citizens who have the right to vote in Zvecan. For the petition to pass, at least 1.347 were required in this municipality.

Meanwhile, 4,148 signatures were collected in northern Mitrovica, of which 3,653 were eligible for vote. At least 3,640 signatures were required in this municipality so the petition could be considered valid.

This news has been welcomed by internationals, which have called for now to make the necessary preparations to ensure a calm process.

The chief of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Thomas Szunyog, has praised the Central Election Commission's decision (KQZ) that the 21 April vote on the dismissal of mayors in four municipalities in the north, northern Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvecan and Zubin-Potk be held.

Ambassador Szunyog has written that it is essential that the CEC make the necessary preparations to ensure a calm process to create conditions for free and fair vote.

The current “is essential for the CEC to make the necessary preparations to ensure a quiet process and create conditions for free and fair voting”, He wrote on platform X.

In this regard, European Parliament Rapporteur Violet von Cremon reacted.

Through a post on the X platform, Von Croamon said he welcomes the CEC's decision, which, according to her, will pave the way for further escalation.

“I welcome the CEC's decision to appoint voting for the removal of mayors, which would pave the way for further escalation. All participants in the process should have equal treatment and respect democratic procedures to have free and fair elections in the north”, wrote Von Croamon on the social X network.

The chief of O has welcomed this. The SEU in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, who noted that the electoral process should now be conducted fairly and transparently.

“Verification of the Kosovo Electoral Commission for signatures in favour of votes for attracting mayors to all four northern municipalities is a welcome step, as is the decision to appoint the polls. Now it is important that the process develop fairly, inclusive and transparently”, Davenport wrote.