The second round of local elections in Kosovo has been completed, and after both rounds, the Democratic League of Kosovo won seven municipalities, as did Albin Kurti\u2019s Self-Determination Movement, but the DSK secured power in Pristina. The Serbian List won control in Klokot, meaning they now have mayors in all ten Serb-majority municipalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As reported by the Euronews Serbia correspondent, the situation in northern Kosovo today looks completely different after Serbs were absent from local self-governments for three years\u2014neither politically nor administratively involved. The north of Kosovo has become unrecognizable. City symbols have been changed, and Serbian-owned businesses sold to Albanians. That is only part of the challenges the new authorities will face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMayors who won in the elections that Serbs boycotted, of Albanian nationality, in Serbian communities, made numerous decisions. Many of them\u2014or at least some\u2014are decisions that the Serbs, as the majority population, definitely would not agree with. They worked to pass as many of those decisions as possible, at least in the case of the Assembly of the Municipality of North Mitrovica, in order to make it difficult for the new government to reverse or change them,\u201d said Ivan Miti\u0107 from the NGO \u201cAktiv\u201d for Euronews Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two unnecessary new bridges over the Ibar River, a foundation stone laid for a school in the Albanian language\u2014although there are not enough Albanian children in the north even for a single class\u2014appropriated sports facilities and cultural venues, are just some of the decisions of the former authorities that will also be difficult to overturn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe point is that this definitely won\u2019t be an easy task, and those who think that now the Serbs will return and everything will be as it once was\u2014that remains to be seen, because I must point out again that the Ministry of Local Government Administration is the one that approves many of the decisions made by local authorities,\u201d Miti\u0107 added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historian Milo\u0161 Damjanovi\u0107 told Euronews Serbia that one could expect \u201cthe greatest possible sabotage, both political and other forms of disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cObstacles that Pri\u0161tina will set before them, because it is not in their interest for these local self-governments with a Serb majority to experience unhindered or positive progress and development,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Serbs were absent from the police, the construction of new police stations continued, and special and intervention units are now everywhere. Other people have been employed in the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe first and most important thing when Serbian representatives return to the municipalities is to appoint commanders for the northern police region, because the four mayors have the power to propose who will be the commander of the northern region\u2026 As for the return of people to the judiciary, the doors remain open, and solutions can be easily reached with a bit of goodwill,\u201d said Aleksandar Rapaji\u0107 from the NGO \u201cCenter for Advocacy of Democratic Culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether there will be goodwill when it comes to municipal employees in the four northern municipalities\u2014many of whom were brought from various parts of southern Kosovo, mostly Albanians who do not even speak the language of the majority\u2014depends on the contracts they were given. And any reversal of decisions, both those of former mayors and local assemblies, will depend entirely on the will of the central government in Pri\u0161tina, that is, the Ministry of Local Government Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UNPRECEDENTED TRAGEDY IN TUZLA: Another victim of the horrific fire in the Retirement Home \u2013 the black toll is 13 casualties!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n SERBIA IN BAD COMPANY: \u201cOnly three regimes in the 21st century destroy cultural property \u2013 the one in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now in Serbia\u201d!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n