Pristina Mayor Përparim Rama has announced that the mayors of Kosovo’s municipalities will stage a protest outside the Kurti Government in September.

He accused the executive of repeatedly violating the law and exerting financial pressure on municipalities not governed by Vetëvendosje.

Rama claims that, since 2022, more than €344 million has been taken from municipalities to cover liabilities they did not incur. According to him, funds are also being blocked and the implementation of local projects is being obstructed.

“Municipalities do not belong to mayors, but to citizens,” Rama said in his statement.

In his full post, he said that all municipal mayors are united today and that they will protest together outside the Kurti Government in September.

According to Rama, the mayors of Kosovo’s municipalities gathered to oppose the ongoing legal violations and what he described as the Kurti Government’s totalitarian approach toward local government.

He recalled the warning made during the local election campaign that municipalities not governed by Vetëvendosje would not be allocated funding. Rama believes that this statement is now turning into a dangerous practice through the blocking of funds, the obstruction of projects and the financial punishment of municipalities not under the government’s control.

The mayor of Pristina reiterated that more than €344 million has been taken from municipalities since 2022 to cover liabilities they did not incur themselves.

He stressed that funds are being kept frozen, while investments that rightfully belong to citizens are being obstructed.

According to Rama, political and financial pressure is being used in an attempt to subjugate the local level of government.

Rama reiterated that municipalities are not the property of mayors, but belong to citizens.

He said that when the Government obstructs a municipality simply because it is not governed by Vetëvendosje, it is not targeting a mayor. According to him, this deprives citizens of a road, a nursery, a school or a service solely because of how they voted.

In conclusion, Rama described this approach as primitive, discriminatory and dangerous for democracy. He said citizens cannot be divided into the categories of “with us” and “with them,” while public funds cannot be blocked based on the electoral map.

The post Përparim Rama: Municipal Mayors to Protest Outside Kurti Government in September appeared first on Albeu.com.

On September 3, municipal mayors are expected to gather for a protest outside the Government building to express their dissatisfaction over the issues facing municipalities.

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo MP Albana Bytyqi confirmed the protest would be held on that date in a statement to Indeksonline.

Bytyqi explained that each mayor would present the concerns and grievances of the municipality they lead, calling on the central institutions to resolve their problems.

According to the MP, the protest actions will not be limited to September 3. She warned that they would continue after that date if the municipalities’ demands remain unanswered.

“Each mayor will work to voice their concerns. After September 3, we too will continue with protests,” Bytyqi said.

The protest is intended to put pressure on the Government to address the municipalities’ demands and concerns.

The post Bytyqi Confirms Mayors’ Protest Outside Government Building on September 3 appeared first on Albeu.com.

Prime Minister Edi Rama today gathered 20 mayors and Socialist Party regional leaders at a restaurant in Kuç, Vlorë, for a meeting lasting more than four hours to discuss the new territorial map.

Among the mayors present were those whose municipalities are expected to be merged into larger local government units, reducing the current number of municipalities from 61 to 46.

Sources said the prime minister’s fiercest clash was with the mayor of Poliçan, the first town where residents protested against the dissolution of their municipality.

During that protest, some Socialist Party supporters publicly burned their membership cards, accusing the party of being ungrateful for the support the town had given it.

Adriatik Zotkaj has led the municipality since 2004, winning six consecutive local elections.

The public burning of Socialist Party membership cards by supporters in Poliçan was strongly criticized by Prime Minister Rama immediately after the protest held in the town.

Rama called it a shameful act.

“The horseman’s lament that his legs are dangling continues, most recently accompanied by great agitation from male and female mourners, who now claim that protests are taking place even ‘within the Socialist Party’ and that this is supposedly a terribly bad sign for the ‘regime.’ In fact, no. Apart from the shameful act in one instance of burning Socialist Party membership cards by several individuals who themselves did not fully understand what they were doing, or the occasional case when our MPs have played the role of ‘champions of the common people’ without fully understanding what they are saying, everything else is not only normal but also welcome,” Rama said.

The post Rama Expelled Him From the Meeting After Socialist Party Membership Cards Were Burned: Who Is Poliçan’s Six-Term Mayor? appeared first on Albeu.com.

This Wednesday, Prime Minister Edi Rama convened the country’s mayors in Kuç, Vlora, for a meeting expected to focus on Territorial Reform.

Municipal mayors are expected to attend the meeting, while sources say that the heads of municipalities slated to be dissolved or merged as part of the new territorial reform may also be present.

The Territorial Reform has sparked debate and opposition, while protests have been held in several areas of the country against the Socialist Party’s proposals to reorganize local government units.

Meanwhile, an anti-government protest has continued in Tirana for 74 days, with citizens demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The post Citizens Protest the Merger of 15 Municipalities as Rama Gathers Mayors in Kuç, Vlora appeared first on Albeu.com.

After nearly two years of governance by Albanians, the Serb List regained power in the north.

Former Zubin Potok mayor Izmir Zeqiri says that up to this stage, no pressure from the local authorities has been noticed.

According to Zeqiri, unlike in earlier periods, there may now be minor difficulties, but not major problems, such as interethnic issues.

Skender Sadiku from the civic initiative “Mitrovica” agrees with this assessment.

However, he stresses that more support is needed from the central government.

Meanwhile, unlike Zubin Potok, North Mitrovica has encountered some difficulties after the Serb List returned to power.

One of these issues has been the naming of streets.

The post Zeqiri on the leadership of northern municipalities by Serb mayors: There has been no pressure or major problems appeared first on Albeu.com.