An invitation to kick off the local election campaign in northern Kosovo with coffee and cakes has drawn its first public refusal. Marko Jakšić, candidate for mayor of North Mitrovica from the “Sever za sve” (North for All) civic initiative, declined the offer, citing the behavior of the outgoing local government.
The idea came from Skender Sadiku, head of the “GI Mitrovica” list, who earlier on Wednesday invited all mayoral and assembly candidates to meet at a local pastry shop this Saturday to mark the start of the campaign together.
Sadiku told KoSSev the event would show citizens that “we are doing this in their name and for them.”
Four Days Until Kosovo Local Election Campaign: Sadiku Calls for Joint Coffee Gathering
Jakšić, however, responded sharply.
Thanking Sadiku for the invitation, he argued that such a gesture would only be appropriate if the local government had not spent the past years taking decisions against the majority population in North Mitrovica. He cited, among other examples, street-name changes, the allocation of municipal property to the police, and what he described as the “confiscation” of the town’s sports hall and the municipal gazette from local children.
“Accepting coffee in such a symbolic and trivial way would mean we’re starting a campaign in some local self-government in Finland or Switzerland, not in North Mitrovica,” Jakšić said, adding that it would also imply “nothing bad has happened over the past three years” and that interethnic relations had improved rather than deteriorated.
He went on to accuse the outgoing municipal leadership — in which Sadiku has been a member — of making “countless decisions directed against the majority population” under the guise of governing for all citizens. He also criticized the slow completion of local infrastructure projects and alleged heavy-handed municipal inspections.
Jakšić did not spare the Serbian List either, saying that “blindly carrying out Vučić’s orders since 2013” had contributed to the current situation. However, he insisted this did not absolve the outgoing local government of its own role in “enabling and co-executing” controversial policies aligned with the ruling Vetëvendosje (Self-Determination) movement.
Jakšić concluded that he would only accept a coffee invitation once the situation in North Mitrovica had normalized.
“When the majority population regains the dignity that illegitimate local authorities, together with [Prime Minister] Kurti and [Interior Minister] Sveçla, have taken from them, then I’ll come for coffee,” he said.
Local elections in Kosovo are set for October 12, with the official campaign beginning this week.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
