Osmani: Kosovo institutions are working to hold new elections in the north of the country

2023-08-15 21:17:28, Kosova & Bota CNA

Osmani: Kosovo institutions are working to hold new elections in the north of

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, said on Tuesday that it is a matter of days when the by-laws that pave the way for the petition for the dismissal of the presidents in the north of Kosovo and the announcement of new elections will be completed, while she asked the international factor to exert pressure on Serbia to end the intimidation of Serbs in the north.

She made these comments during a visit to the municipality of Dragash, about 90 kilometers south of Pristina, during which she said that the institutions of Kosovo have the will to fulfill the requirements for the extension of the situation in the north.

"It is a matter of days when the legal basis will be completed in terms of by-laws and those of the ministry and the Central Election Commission that determine the deadlines and procedural technical issues related to the implementation of Article 72 of the law on local self-government. So, after the by-laws are completed, it is up to the citizens in the north whether they want to use this right or not," she said.

The new elections in the north are part of steps to reduce tensions that erupted after the Albanian mayors who emerged from the April 23 elections boycotted by the Serbs were sent to the offices of the northern municipalities with the support of the police.

The Government of Kosovo has said that it expects the drafting of a document to be completed by the beginning of September, through which it is expected to determine the rules on how to organize the petition, which would enable the citizens of the municipalities to dismiss their mayors. In order for the petition to succeed, according to government officials, it must express the will of 20 percent of a municipality's voters.

President Osmani said that the citizens in the north are ready to use the right to go to extraordinary elections and the election of new presidents.

"Well, so far I don't see any will from President Vu?i? to stop the institutional aggression that he constantly carries out in relation to his neighbors, I don't see any will from him to stop the violence that through the criminal structures they constantly exert against our citizens in the north, that's why the pressure it should be in Belgrade that Belgrade finally starts to behave in accordance with European standards and not as a servant of Putin", said the president.

The European Union seeks to reduce tensions through a plan that foresees the suspension of police operations in the north, the relocation of mayors to alternative offices and the announcement of early elections with the unconditional participation of Kosovo Serbs. Due to the inaction of the Kosovo government, the European Union has announced several punitive measures against Kosovo.

President Osmani expects the removal of the measures that she described as excessive.

"Because in some way my impression is that many countries have treated Kosovo in those days as if Kosovo had invaded someone, Kosovo has not invaded any territory of the neighboring country, Kosovo has acted in the territory of its Republic, a sovereign Republic which has been recognized by the vast majority of European Union states," she said.

The government of Kosovo has already halved the presence of police units in and around municipal buildings in the north, a request from the European Union, which said that the government's steps are still insufficient to reduce tensions./ VOA