Strict respect for the law and equal treatment of all citizens, regardless of their ethnic affiliation, are the key to cooperation between municipalities inhabited by a Serb majority in northern Kosovo and the Government of Kosovo, the former deputy chairman of the Municipal Assembly of North Mitrovica, Skënder Sadiku, told Radio Free Europe.

He hopes that politicians from the largest Serb party in Kosovo, the Serbian List, and the winning party of the December 28 snap parliamentary elections, the Self-Determination Movement (LVV), "have learned their lesson" and will put aside their differences for the benefit of all citizens.

The Serbian List took power in the municipalities in northern Kosovo at the beginning of December last year, from where it had itself left in November 2022 in protest against the decisions of the Kosovo Government. So far, the Serbian List has accused the Government of the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, of "repression" against the Serbian population due to the implementation of several decisions and the closure of institutions that function according to the Serbian system.

On the other hand, the acting prime minister has a critical stance towards the Serbian List and does not want it as a partner in his executive. In public appearances, he usually describes the party as a “political instrument” of Belgrade.

LVV members on the Central Election Commission during 2025 tried three times to prevent the Serbian List from participating in the elections.

The leader of this party, Kurti, during the pre-election campaign for the local elections held in 2025, called on the Serbian community not to believe the "warmongering calls of various high-ranking officials from Belgrade" and said that he does not accept that a single party, namely the Serbian List, has a "monopoly on the votes and representation of the Serbian community."

Aleksandar Rapajić from the non-governmental Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture, based in North Mitrovica, estimates that in the coming period there will be clashes between municipalities in the north and the central government in Pristina, especially between local governments and the Ministry of Local Government Administration.

The Serbian List has previously warned that it will repeal several decisions taken by Albanian mayors of municipalities in the north, during the period from May 2023 to October 2025. In mid-December 2025, assembly members in North Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvecan and Zubin Potok voted to exit the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, but for this decision to be valid, it must also be approved by the relevant ministry.

There was also a “dispute” on January 6, on the eve of Orthodox Christmas, when the mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojević, approved the placement of a banner with the religious greeting “Peace of God, Christ is born,” which the Kosovo Police initially did not allow, arguing that permission from the Ministry of Local Government Administration was also needed. However, after a few hours, the Police returned the banner to the Serbian List, which then placed it in the city center.

"Cooperation has no alternative"
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty asked the Serbian List and the acting Government of Kosovo about their mutual cooperation, but they did not respond.

The European Union, following the local elections held in October 2025, told Radio Free Europe that they expect the newly elected local government in northern Kosovo, in cooperation with central institutions, to approach "constructively addressing the needs and demands of the population through institutions and in accordance with the laws" in the coming period.

Skënder Sadiku says that citizens have elected their representatives both at the local and central levels, and that those who are now in power must accept this, meaning that the mayors of municipalities from the Serb List in the north must accept that Kurti will be the prime minister of all citizens of Kosovo, but also vice versa.

He emphasizes that municipalities in northern Kosovo are inhabited by a Serb majority, but that the rights of non-majority communities must also be respected.

The same, according to Sadik, applies to central institutions. The Government of Kosovo must respect the rights of the Serbian community throughout the territory of Kosovo.

Sadiku underlines that politicians should focus on the real needs of citizens, noting that in recent days everyone has been facing floods as a result of heavy rainfall, which should be a priority.

"A small municipality like North Mitrovica cannot help people on its own. Relevant agencies and ministries must be involved. This is democracy, laws must be respected at both the central and local levels," says Sadiku.

For this reason, he adds, cooperation between central and local government has no alternative.

"We share the same fate. Now there are floods everywhere. In North Mitrovica, Serbs, Bosniaks and Albanians have the same problems. There are 1 million topics that divide us, but also 1 million problems that we must overcome together. We dare not leave our anger to future generations. The elections have been held and are over, now the situation must normalize," Sadiku ordered.

Central and local government cooperation through the Association
Aleksandar Rapajić estimates that Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo cannot have quality cooperation with the central government, regardless of who leads it.

Therefore, according to him, it is necessary to form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, which Kosovo and Serbia have agreed on within the framework of the dialogue for the normalization of relations, which is mediated by the European Union.

"With the formation of this intermediate body between the central and local governments, cooperation would be much easier and better," Rapajic estimates.

The Association of Serb-majority Municipalities is supposed to provide Serbs in Kosovo with a certain level of self-governance. The Association's statute, drafted by the EU, provides for the regulation of the position of the Serb community, the protection of their rights, and financing from Serbia.

The Statute specifies that the Association will not have executive powers and will not jeopardize the independence and territorial integrity of Kosovo, and provides that the document will be subject to review by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo./REL