Regular local elections in Kosovo on October 12

(Patria) - Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has called regular local elections for October 12.

"This decision was made after careful consideration of proposals from political entities, as well as after a thorough analysis, in accordance with constitutional and legal deadlines," the Kosovo Presidency announced.

Setting the date for holding local elections aims to enable full preparation of the electoral process by all responsible institutions, including the Central Election Commission and other relevant institutions, in order to uphold the highest standards of electoral administration.

Osmani called on political entities, organizations and civil society to approach this with full responsibility in order to guarantee a comprehensive, regular and fair process.

On June 4, Osmani met with representatives of political parties to consult with them on setting the date for holding regular local elections.

Representatives of the Serbian List - the largest Serbian party of Serbs in Kosovo, which has the support of Belgrade - did not attend the meeting. This party had until the end of 2022 led all ten municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo.

Following the political decision to withdraw from Kosovo institutions in the north of Kosovo and the boycott of extraordinary local elections, Albanian mayors came to power in North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok - which sparked numerous tensions and protests by the local population.

The last local elections in Kosovo were held in October 2021.