In a recent meeting, the Central Election Commission (CEC) decided that on April 21, a vote will be held to decide the removal of mayors in four municipalities in the north: Mitrovica North, Leposaviq, Zvečan, and Zubin-Potok.
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| Members of the Central Election Commission of Kosovo voting on the petition, March 8, 2024 |
This decision was announced during the CEC meeting, where Burim Ahmetaj, the Chief of the CEC Secretariat, shared details regarding petitions submitted by the Serb community in the mentioned municipalities.
From the petition organized in the municipality of Leposaviq, the CEC accepted for verification a list containing 3030 completed signatures on 304 pages. After cross-referencing with voter list data based on personal identification numbers, it was confirmed that 2905 signatories were Kosovo citizens with voting rights in this municipality.
"In total, the number of voters in the municipality of Leposaviq is 13,441 voters, where 20% of voters in this municipality would be 2689 voters. Therefore, these signatures constitute 20% of voters in this municipality," stated Ahmetaj.
Regarding the petition verification report from Zubin Potok, according to the letter received from the municipal assembly president, the list contains 1576 completed signatures on 158 pages. Following a comparison with the voter list based on personal identification numbers, it was found that 1380 petition signatories are Kosovo citizens with voting rights in this municipality, meeting the 20% requirement mandated by the law.
The decision to hold a removal vote in these municipalities is a significant step in response to the petitions submitted by the Serbian community. The CEC's thorough verification process ensures transparency and adherence to legal requirements, marking a crucial development in the democratic processes of these northern Kosovo municipalities. The upcoming vote on April 21 will determine the fate of the current mayors in Mitrovica North, Leposaviq, Zvečan, and Zubin-Potok, reflecting the democratic principles in action.