Most Serbs in the volatile north of Kosovo opted to boycott a local referendum held on Sunday regarding the removal of ethnic Albanian mayors in four municipalities, as reported by the country's election commission.
Kosovo, primarily inhabited by ethnic Albanians, has a significant Serb population of around 50,000 in the north who reject the authority of Pristina and consider Belgrade as their capital. Following a guerrilla uprising, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, though tensions persist.
By midday, only a fraction of the approximately 46,000 registered Serb voters had participated in the referendum across the four predominantly Serb municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavić. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and were set to close at 7 p.m.
In September last year, the Pristina government agreed to cancel local elections in Kosovo’s north and conduct new ones after widespread Serb boycotts in April 2023 under pressure from Western backers.
However, the leading local party, Srpska Lista (Serbian List), rejected Pristina’s proposal for a pre-election referendum on the dismissal of the four mayors, arguing that the mayors should have resigned before any vote.
Srpska Lista accused the Kosovo government of pressuring and intimidating local Serbsto undermine the integrity of the referendum, allegations denied by Pristina. They also claimed that the referendum was not part of the initial agreement between Pristina, Belgrade, and international mediators to address governance issues in north Kosovo.
Furthermore, Srpska Lista urged local Serbs to boycott the mayoral by-elections, exacerbating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.
Serbia and five EU member states, do not recognize Kosovo’s independence.
The dispute over the four mayoralties escalated in late 2022 when Serbs resigned from all official positions, including police and local administrations, following a disagreement over Pristina's decision to introduce Kosovo license plates for local Serbs.
Despite years of mediated talks to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina, progress has been slow, and violence between north Kosovo Serbs, Kosovo police, and occasionally NATO peacekeepers has intermittently erupted.
Regular local elections are scheduled for October 2025 in the rest of Kosovo.
By midday, only a fraction of the approximately 46,000 registered Serb voters had participated in the referendum across the four predominantly Serb municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavić. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and were set to close at 7 p.m.
In September last year, the Pristina government agreed to cancel local elections in Kosovo’s north and conduct new ones after widespread Serb boycotts in April 2023 under pressure from Western backers.
However, the leading local party, Srpska Lista (Serbian List), rejected Pristina’s proposal for a pre-election referendum on the dismissal of the four mayors, arguing that the mayors should have resigned before any vote.
Srpska Lista accused the Kosovo government of pressuring and intimidating local Serbsto undermine the integrity of the referendum, allegations denied by Pristina. They also claimed that the referendum was not part of the initial agreement between Pristina, Belgrade, and international mediators to address governance issues in north Kosovo.
Furthermore, Srpska Lista urged local Serbs to boycott the mayoral by-elections, exacerbating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.
Serbia and five EU member states, do not recognize Kosovo’s independence.
The dispute over the four mayoralties escalated in late 2022 when Serbs resigned from all official positions, including police and local administrations, following a disagreement over Pristina's decision to introduce Kosovo license plates for local Serbs.
Despite years of mediated talks to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina, progress has been slow, and violence between north Kosovo Serbs, Kosovo police, and occasionally NATO peacekeepers has intermittently erupted.
Regular local elections are scheduled for October 2025 in the rest of Kosovo.
Source: TVP World, Reuters
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