The 40th session of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly was abruptly suspended today following heated debate and a walkout by a member, which left the assembly without a quorum.
The session, chaired by Assembly President Nedžad Ugljanin, was marked by the announcement of a proposal to construct a monument in the northern part of the city. The local government plans to allocate €7,000 from the municipal budget for the project, despite lacking clarity on whom or what the monument would commemorate.
Ugljanin opened the session with changes to the original agenda. A previously scheduled discussion on the greening of public spaces was replaced with a proposal to purchase laptop computers for assembly members and municipal staff.
In total, eight items were tabled, including the adoption of minutes from the previous (39th) session, a proposal to carry over unused municipal revenues from 2024, a quarterly financial report, reports from various municipal directorates, a revision of the €500 one-time subsidy for children with special needs, and citizen requests.
While the laptop and revenue transfer proposals gained support from the majority of attendees, the assembly failed to adopt the minutes from its previous meeting.
Mysterious Monument Proposal
During the presentation of the quarterly report, Finance Director Mevlude Peci Shala introduced the monument proposal. The monument, she said, would be located at the northern entrance to the city and aimed to “enrich the tourism offer and preserve local memory.”
However, when pressed for details, Assembly President Ugljanin admitted that plans for the monument were still undeveloped — officials reportedly do not yet know who or what the monument will honor, or what it will look like.
Deputy Assembly President Skender Sadiku opposed the measure, demanding clarity regarding the location, appearance, purpose, and contractor. Shala responded that the proposal was only about earmarking funds for now, with documentation to follow.
Ugljanin later said the proposal would “likely be addressed at a future session.”
Session Breaks Down Over Report Dispute
The session reached a boiling point during the discussion of municipal directorate reports. Assembly member Betim Osmani engaged in a heated exchange with Mayor Erden Atić, accusing him of presenting non-existent reports.
Parts of the debate remained unclear to attendees due to a lack of translation. Osmani ultimately walked out in protest.
With Osmani’s departure — and the prior absence of Dušan Milunović, the assembly’s only Serbian member — the session lost its quorum. Ugljanin subsequently suspended proceedings, stating that an extraordinary session would be scheduled soon, though no date was provided.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
