Mayoral Elections Held in Four Northern Kosovo Municipalities

Kosovo (BETAPHOTO/SASA DJORDJEVIC)

Mayoral elections were held in four majority-Serb northern Kosovo municipalities on April 23, while Leposavic and Zvecan also elected municipal assemblies.

The elections were organized by the authorities in Pristina after Serb mayors in the Kosovo system stepped down at the urging of Belgrade, in response to Pristina's demands to replace vehicle license plates issued by the Serbian Interior Ministry with the names of towns in Kosovo with RKS-coded plates issued by Pristina.

The mayors of Kosovska Mitrovica North, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok, members of the Serb Ticket, resigned in early November 2022. The extraordinary local vote had initially been scheduled for December 2022, but was cancelled amid escalating tension in northern Kosovo.

The Serb Ticket, backed by Belgrade, is boycotting the elections, Other, smaller parties, and civic groups, are also boycotting them. According to the Central Electoral Commission of Kosovo, the election passed quietly with a low turnout.