In northern Kosovo, the elections originally scheduled for December 18 and 25 have been postponed to April. The reason for this is the growing ethnic tensions with Serbia. At the same time, these made the new elections necessary in the first place.
Serbian mayors and municipal representatives had resigned in four municipalities in northern Kosovo. For example, they had protested against the now suspended license plate scheme of the government in Pristina. As reported, the government in Pristina wanted to stop ethnic Serbs from Kosovo from registering their vehicles with the Serbian authorities.
More shots at police in Kosovo
Before the license plate regulation should have come into effect, shots were fired in the border area. Protesters set up roadblocks. Just a few months later, the scenario seems to be repeating itself: according to the police and the secret service, Serb militants fired on Kosovo security forces in Zvecan on Friday night. A police officer was slightly injured and his vehicle was heavily damaged. As early as Tuesday, Serbs had blasted polling stations and security forces as they prepared for the election.
Border crossings closed
The troops in the north of the divided city of Mitrovica were subsequently reinforced. 300 additional officers took up positions. In addition, two border crossings into Serbia were closed due to roadblocks. “Extremist groups” had set up barricades in the towns of Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok, Interior Minister Xhlelal Zvecla wrote on Facebook. The blockers were protesting the arrest of an ethnic Serb held responsible for the attacks on the planned polling station.
The arrest was also denounced by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who immediately announced that he would apply for the transfer of 1,000 soldiers and security forces to Kosovo. The prime minister in turn responded there with the words: “Serbia has been threatening Kosovo with aggression for a few days now. The President and Prime Minister of Serbia demand the return of the Serbian army to Kosovo. We don’t want conflict, we want peace and progress (…).”
To this day, Serbia is not ready to recognize the state of Kosovo, which has existed since 2008. In North Mitrovica, Belgrade even has its own power structures based on criminals. The scheduled local elections will now be held on April 23, 2023, as Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani announced on Saturday. She had consulted with political parties and security forces.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
