“Freedom, Hope, or Disappointment” — Northern Kosovo Heads Toward Return to Serb Leadership

RksNews
RksNews 6 Min Read
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As Kosovo’s October 12 local elections approach, residents of North Mitrovica are divided between hope and skepticism.

Some eagerly await the removal of Albanian mayors from power, while others expect little change, saying Serbia’s parallel institutions are gone for good.

The four Serb-majority municipalities — North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zveçan, and Zubin Potok — have been led by Albanian mayors since November 2022, when all Serb List representatives resigned from Kosovo’s institutions. Their move came in protest against the Kosovo government’s decision to remove Serbian car plates.

The installation of Albanian mayors was followed by violent protests, leaving dozens injured, including NATO KFOR soldiers.

Serbs, following the Serb List’s call, boycotted the extraordinary elections in April 2023 and the referendum to dismiss Albanian mayors in April 2024.

During this period, tensions persisted as Kosovo authorities sought to strengthen state control in the north.

The situation escalated with the armed attack in Banjska (Zveçan) in September 2023, claimed by former Serb List deputy leader Milan Radoičić.

Meanwhile, Kosovo achieved key goals: it removed Serbian plates, banned the Serbian dinar, and closed most Serbian-run institutions — including postal offices, banks, temporary municipal bodies, and public enterprises.

They were replaced by Kosovo institutions, including Kosovo Post offices and banks.

Local authorities took over the buildings of former Serbian institutions, blocked illegal Serbian-funded construction, and announced demolitions of unauthorized settlements.

New Albanian-owned businesses — supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries — opened, but faced a boycott by local Serbs.

Now, the Serb List is counting down to the October 12 local elections, aiming to replace the Albanian mayors it deems “illegitimate.”

During its campaign, the Serb List admitted that withdrawing from Kosovo’s institutions was a mistake, saying the move was meant to draw international attention to the “difficult position of Serbs.”

“Today we must correct that mistake. We hoped the international community would understand us, but we got nothing,” said Srdjan Vullović from the Serb List at a rally in Zubin Potok.

Divided Expectations

Radovan, from North Mitrovica, expects that after October 12, Serbs will again lead the municipality and that “there will be freedom once more.”

Freedom is the most precious thing, and the rest depends on the people,” he told Radio Free Europe.

He sees the current Albanian-led administration as a lack of freedom, saying their decisions have harmed Serbs and criticizing the opening of Albanian businesses in the area.

Others, like Miroslav, simply want Albanian mayors gone, while Slavica believes no real change will come since Serbia’s parallel institutions “will never return.”

“If they take away health and education, there’s nothing left for us here,” she said, noting that her two sons already left due to instability.

A disappointed people — this is not the right way,” she added.

Mira, another resident, said life has been “extremely difficult” in the past three years and she doesn’t expect improvement, as Serbian institutions have closed and the dinar has been abolished, forcing her to rely on relatives in Serbia for her pension.

High Turnout Expected

According to Zoran Savić from the NGO Aktiv, which monitors the election campaign, local optimism is low — but voter turnout will likely be high.

He says Serb List will win, as it remains the only party backed by Belgrade.

“We know how it works. Everyone on the Serbian payroll will vote collectively — as in every previous election,” Savić said.

Belgrade has encouraged Serbs in Kosovo and displaced voters in Serbia to support the Serb List, while Serbia’s Commission for Refugees has organized their participation.

Savić warned that new mayors will face a “different reality”, since the current Kosovo authorities have changed the face of northern municipalities — removing murals linked to Serbia and renaming streets and settlements.

The Serb List’s main campaign message is that it will revoke all decisions made by the “illegitimate authorities.”

However, Nexhad Uglanin, the current chair of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, said such reversals are legally impossible:

“Every decision was made under Kosovo’s law and regulations. Returning to the previous state would mean returning to anarchy,” Uglanin told RFE.

He added that Kosovo’s Ministry of Local Government Administration has reviewed all northern municipalities’ decisions, and none have been annulled so far.

Uglanin said the Serb List could return to power, but not necessarily the employees who resigned in 2022, as those posts are now filled.

“Those who were forced to quit by Serb List won’t return. Only a few directors, perhaps,” he said.

The Bigger Picture

In the upcoming October 12 elections, the Serb List has fielded candidates in all 10 Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo — including Graçanica, Shtërpcë, Novo Brdo, Kllokot, Partesh, Ranillug, and Obiliq.

Other Serb parties competing include Nenad Rašić’s Party for Freedom, Justice, and Survival, Aleksandar Arsenijević’s Serbian Democracy, Milija Biševac’s Serbian People’s Movement, and Goran Marinković’s Kosovo Alliance, along with several citizen initiatives.