Srpska Lista official Igor Simić today reiterated allegations — already circulating for days in pro-government media and on social media profiles of newly elected mayors — that the incoming local administrations in the northern municipalities found their buildings in severe disrepair.
According to these claims, upon re-entering municipal premises in Zvecan, Zubin Potok, Leposavic and North Mitrovica, the new mayors allegedly discovered damaged interiors, destroyed equipment, and even religious icons that had been defaced. Simić further stated that humidity had spread “up to the third floor,” and that all computer equipment and office furniture had been removed or ruined.
Srpska Lista formally resumed control over the four northern municipalities on December 5, nearly two years after withdrawing from Kosovo institutions in late 2022 and boycotting the 2023 local elections, which resulted in Albanian mayors taking office.
Following the inaugural sessions last week, Serbian pro-government outlets and several newly elected mayors began publishing images and statements alleging that the buildings had been left in complete chaos.
The first to speak publicly was Milan Radojević, mayor of North Mitrovica, who told TV Prva that the condition of the municipal buildings was “sad, disappointing and catastrophic.” He claimed that valuable paintings had disappeared from Zvecan and that icons had been damaged, including saints’ eyes “allegedly carved out.” Simić later echoed this claim on Facebook, posting photos of the icons.
“It looks like everything except an institution”
At today’s Srpska Lista press conference in North Mitrovica, a reporter asked Simić to clarify the nature of the alleged damage.
Although he did not repeat the claims regarding the icons, he offered new details: that computer equipment had been removed from municipal offices, humidity had spread throughout the buildings, and even that walls had been dug into and air conditioners burned.
He said he personally visited the Zvecan municipality yesterday:
“What I found there is tragic. It looks like everything except an institution. You ask yourself who was inside those buildings and with what intention. The rooms where the special units were stationed — believe me — no photo can show it. You enter and wonder whether a human being could have stayed there. Everything was destroyed. All computer equipment was removed. Office furniture completely ruined. Humidity from the first to the third floor. Someone deliberately wanted to destroy everything.”
Simić also stated that over 90% of employees in North Mitrovica and Zvecan are Albanians, fewer than 3% of whom speak Serbian — raising, he said, concerns about how services were being provided to citizens.
He repeated the allegations that municipal property had been intentionally damaged:
“Do you know that in the Zvecan municipality, where the special units were stationed, walls were dug into? In Zubin Potok, fires were lit on the parquet floors, sockets pulled out, air conditioners burned. Do you know that in Zubin Potok, police officers are still under the same roof inside the municipal building? How are citizens supposed to access services there?”
Simić also claimed that a playground area near the municipality — which he said had been used by children until two and a half or three years ago — is now being used as a parking lot for Kosovo Police armored vehicles.
He asked citizens for patience, saying that the newly elected mayors are “working around the clock” on solutions. He also announced that requests have been submitted for comprehensive reports on the financial and property status of the municipalities:
“Our mayors have been working day and night since entering the buildings. What is most important: they have requested an official, complete report on the financial situation and on municipal property, which in the past was allegedly handed out unlawfully to people with questionable backgrounds and to certain institutions without any need.”
At the same conference, Srpska Lista confirmed that it has filed a complaint to the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel, claiming unequal representation in polling boards ahead of the early municipal elections scheduled for December 28.
Simić: Ponovo neravnopravno raspoređivanje u biračkim odborima na štetu Srpske liste, žalba podneta
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