Residents in four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo have participated in a referendum on Sunday to remove their ethnic Albanian mayors from office. The ballot, supported by Western nations, aims to ease tensions between Kosovo and neighboring Serbia, both of which are seeking European Union membership.
The main ethnic Serb party in Kosovo, Srpska List, which has close ties with Belgrade, called for a boycott of the vote. An estimated 46,500 residents were expected to participate in 47 polling stations, with a majority vote needed for the mayors to step down.
The call for the referendum follows mayoral elections last April, which were largely boycotted by ethnic Serbs as part of a campaign for greater autonomy. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti had proposed new elections in the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok if 20 percent of the electorates supported a petition for the polls. Residents voted in favor of the petition in January.
The aftermath of the war in Kosovo, which claimed around 13,000 lives, predominantly Albanian, led to Serbian forces withdrawing from the region. However, Serbia still does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have escalated in recent months, with disputes over travel restrictions and the use of currency in Serbian-run institutions in Kosovo. Efforts by the United States and the European Union to revive dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade face challenges, with the EU warning that the lack of compromise could jeopardize both countries’ EU accession prospects.