Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo — North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, and Zubin Potok — voted on Friday to withdraw from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM), reiterating their intention to join a separate association exclusively representing Serb-majority municipalities.
This marks the second such vote, following an earlier decision taken on December 18 last year, which was later declared illegal by the acting Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, due to procedural violations.
At the time, Krasniqi stated that the proposal had been unlawfully introduced by municipal mayors, contrary to the Law on Local Self-Government (Article 47.2), which stipulates that only municipal assembly members may propose additions to the agenda, and solely for urgent matters of public importance.
“This practice violates the Law on Local Self-Government,” Krasniqi wrote, accusing the Serb List of deliberately fueling divisions between communities, deepening mistrust, and increasing tensions, while demonstrating a lack of willingness to cooperate with other municipalities within the Association.
Decision Pending Government Approval
The newly adopted decision must now be submitted to the Ministry of Local Government Administration for approval, as the ministry serves as the central supervisory authority over municipalities.
North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvečan, and Zubin Potok were governed by Albanian mayors from May 2023 until the October 2025 local elections, following the collective resignation of Serb List representatives in November 2022. That resignation was part of a coordinated boycott by Kosovo Serbs protesting decisions taken by the Kosovo government.
Under Albanian-led municipal administrations, these municipalities joined the Association of Kosovo Municipalities in the summer of 2023. The Association operates as a non-governmental organization focused on inter-municipal cooperation, experience-sharing, and advocacy for members’ interests.
Serbia’s Continued Pressure
The Serb List opposed the municipalities’ accession to the Association at the time, arguing that the decision was illegal and not in the interest of citizens.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also reacted strongly, insisting that Serb-majority municipalities should instead be part of a separate association, an arrangement repeatedly discussed and agreed upon in principle during EU-mediated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
Despite continued pressure from the international community, Kosovo has yet to take concrete steps toward establishing an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, citing constitutional and legal concerns.
