Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo boycott vote on ethnic Albanian mayors

“Based on the voter turnout data for this process, we inform you that the majority of registered voters did not vote, as required by Article 72 of the Law on Local Self-Government in the Republic of Kosovo, so the needed turnout of 50% was not reached,” head of CEC Kreshnik Radoniqi said at a press conference, as seen in video published on Facebook by local news provider Ekonomia Online.

In a social media statement, Kosovo’s interior minister Xhelal Zvecla accused the Serbian List of sabotaging the process.

In a social media post, the Serbian List claimed they urged Kosovo Serbs to abstain from voting, alleging that the prime minister, Albin Kurti, designed the process to fail.

The referendum was approved by the electoral authority in March, following petitions from the four municipalities.

The four ethnic Albanian mayors were elected last year in April, in elections marked by a 3.45% turnout following a boycott by the Serbian List party (Srpska lista) in northern Kosovo. As many as 30 NATO soldiers were injured while confronting ethnic Serb protesters after the newly-elected mayors attempted to take office.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Serbia has refused to recognize.