Local elections, originally scheduled for December 18-25 in northern Kosovo, have been postponed to April due to rising ethnic tensions. President Vjosa Osmani announced this on Saturday after consultations with the political parties in Pristina. The exact date will be communicated later.
The elections became necessary because the Serbian mayors and municipal representatives in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo had resigned. With this they had protested against the now suspended license plate scheme of the government in Pristina. Several Western diplomats had previously called for these elections to be postponed.
Osmani also referred to police and secret services analyzes of the danger situation. In the night from Friday to Friday, Serb militants fired on a Kosovo police patrol in Zvecan municipality. A police officer was slightly injured and the officer’s car was heavily damaged.
On Tuesday, militant Serbs also fired into the air at election workers and police officers preparing for the elections. As a result, the Kosovo Police reinforced its forces in the northern part of the divided city of Mitrovica. An additional 300 police officers took up positions in Albanian and Bosniak-populated districts in the otherwise predominantly Serb half of the city.
To this day, Serbia is not ready to recognize the state of Kosovo, which has existed since 2008. The small Balkan country is now inhabited almost exclusively by Albanians. In the enclave of North Mitrovica, which borders directly on Serbia, Belgrade operates its own power structures, which rely on militant activists and criminals. These repeatedly place roadblocks and initiate violent incidents. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
