The installation of “Zoran Đinđić” and “Isa Boljetini” street signs at a main roundabout has reignited a fierce institutional battle between Kosovo’s central government and local Serb authorities, just four days before snap parliamentary elections.
A highly visible campaign to overhaul street names in North Mitrovica has resumed, triggering immediate political resistance, brief street-level protests, and a looming legal showdown between central and local institutions.
New street signs bearing the names of Zoran Đinđić (the assassinated reformist Prime Minister of Serbia) and Isa Boljetini (a prominent historic Albanian revolutionary fighter) were officially erected near the main roundabout at the entrance to North Mitrovica.
The physical installation was personally overseen on the ground by Fitore Pacoli, the central government’s Acting Minister of Spatial Planning, alongside Aida Ferati Dolli, a Vetëvendosje official serving as the deputy leader of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly.
Central Government: ‘Just Doing Our Job’
Speaking to local media outlet KoSSev, Minister Pacoli fiercely rejected accusations that the operation was timed to manipulate voters ahead of the upcoming snap parliamentary elections.
“People who live here in North Mitrovica know about this project. They were fully informed,” Pacoli insisted, explaining that approximately 70 to 80 additional street signs are scheduled for replacement across the municipality in the coming days.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ The Contested Figures on the Roundabout │
├───────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ZORAN ĐINĐIĆ │ ISA BOLJETINI │
├───────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Assassinated reformist Serbian│ Historic Albanian military commander │
│ Prime Minister; viewed as a │ and nationalist figure born near │
│ modern Europeanizer by many. │ Mitrovica; highly revered by Albanians.│
└───────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┘
When pressed on whether ethnic reciprocity would be observed—specifically if major streets in predominantly Albanian South Mitrovica would ever be renamed after Serbian figures like King Peter I—Pacoli bypassed a direct answer, stating that local assemblies ultimately hold the right to choose regional figures who have “contributed to the well-being of citizens.”
Local Authorities Denounce ‘Illegal Pre-Election Stunt’
The local municipal government in North Mitrovica—led by Mayor Milan Radojević of Srpska Lista—swiftly released a scathing statement condemning the operation. They countered Minister Pacoli’s claims, stating the activity was completely unannounced and uncoordinated with the municipality’s lawful representatives.
Local officials pointed out that the entire renaming initiative is legally null and void under municipal law:
- August 2023: An ethnically Albanian-majority municipal council, led by former Mayor Erden Atić, originally passed a resolution to change 87 local street names.
- January 30, 2026: Following local structural shifts that saw Srpska Lista reclaim administrative control over the four northern Serb-majority municipalities, the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly formally revoked and annulled Atić’s naming decree.
“Imposing the will of central institutions on matters where no local consensus or clear legitimacy exists is a direct violation of the core principles of local self-government,” the municipality’s formal statement read.
High Court Appeal and Street-Level Pushback
The dispute has already moved to the judiciary. Local authorities confirmed that a formal legal challenge was filed with the competent courts prior to the signs being erected. They argue that proceeding with physical installations while an active case is pending constitutes a flagrant violation of rule-of-law principles.
The political theater quickly spilled into physical defiance on Wednesday morning. Shortly after the ministerial delegation departed, local individuals moved onto the roundabout and symbolically covered the newly placed “Isa Boljetini” and “Zoran Đinđić” signs with makeshift cloths while local cameras rolled.
However, the covers were immediately torn down by responding security personnel. Kosovan police units have since established static, 24-hour guard posts directly in front of the roundabouts to protect the state-installed signage from further vandalism as election day approaches.
