Ethnic Serbs have blocked the entraces to three municipal buildings in the northern Kosovo municipalities of Zubin Potok, Leposaviq, and Zvecan in a bid to present recently sworn in mayors from taking office
As well as people gathering outside the buildings, heavy vehicles were used to block off areas and in footage from outside the municipal building of Zvecan, shooting and the use of tear gas is observed and warning sirens can be heard.
KFOR, the NATO led peacekeeping force and local law enforcement authorities are on the scene.
In a statement to local media, the new Mayor of the North Mitrovica Municipality, Erden Atiq, said that he did not know what was happening.
“I heard the alarm earlier; now it has stopped. I’m here in the municipal building. I don’t know more details,” he said.
Kosovo police published a notification saying they are working to preserve the peace and ensure public safety.
“According to our official duty, today the Kosovo Police is assisting the mayors of the northern municipalities of Zveçan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok to exercise their right to work in the official facilities of the respective municipalities,” the police announcement states.
The tensions come after three mayors were sworn in on Thursday in schools and local offices after being asked by QUINT countries not to forbily enter municipal buildings.
The mayors, all ethnic Albanians were elected in a 23 April election that was called after Serb representatives resigned en masse from Kosovo institutions at the end of 2022. They resigned from their mandates following Pristina’s decision to enforce a rule that all vehicles in Kosovo should have Kosovo-issued plates, a decision impacting Serbs who do not recognise Pristina’s independence from Serbia in 2008.
The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has said that the elections that were held on 23 April in the four northern municipalities were “in accordance with the laws of Kosovo mandated by the Constitution” but that the new mayors of the municipalities in the north must enter only in buildings where they are welcome.
“Elected officials should only enter buildings where they are welcome. The location within the municipality where the elected officials take the oath in the ceremony does not affect their status as an elected official”, he said in an interview for Telegrafin.
This statement was swiftly rebuked by Parliament Speaker Glauk Konjufca who said that the Constitution defines the role of mayors.
“The roles of mayors of municipalities are determined by the Constitution and their responsibilities. I think they should have neither less nor more. Anything less would be illegal and compromise our constitutional framework under which we operate,” Konjufca told the media.
Last week, Vucic said he would not accept the swearing-in of any mayors in the north. According to signed agreements with Kosovo, backed by the EU, Serbia is not allowed to interfere in Kosovo elections, and there is no legal basis for Serbia to accept or not accept the results.
“They will try to hold constitutive sessions in the building north of Mitrovica, for three municipalities, and elect fake mayors, with the support of QUINT, elected in fake elections”, Vucic told reporters in Novi Sad.
“Official Belgrade does not recognise the results of these elections and has considered them undemocratic and illegal,” he added.
The Serb List Vice President Igor Simić declared that with the swearing-in of the new mayor of North Mitrovica from Vetëvendosje, “the occupation of the north has officially begun and will end when Serbs decide”.
Simić gave Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti until 1 June “to stop the repression, expropriation, arrest, persecution and attacks on Serbs”.
He added that if this continues, “the Serb population will protect itself by all means” without explaining what such means would be.
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