Europe

French president calls for new elections in Kosovo’s northern districts

-Emmanuel Macron says he and Germany’s chancellor agreed on necessity of new elections in 4 northern municipalities of Kosovo

Gizem Taşkın  | 02.06.2023 - Update : 02.06.2023
French president calls for new elections in Kosovo’s northern districts Kosovan police patrol in Northern Mitrovica, in December 2022

PARIS 

French President Emmanuel Macron called Thursday for new elections in four northern municipalities of Kosovo after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 

Macron said at a press conference following the second summit of the European Political Community in Moldova that he and Scholz agreed on the necessity of new elections in the Serb-dominated regions.

"We have asked both sides to organize new elections in these four municipalities soon, ensuring meaningful participation from the Serbian side,” said Macron.

He added that during his meetings with Scholz and local politicians, they agreed that a definitive decision would be made in the coming weeks regarding the situation in Kosovo.

Tensions have remained high in Kosovo following last month’s local elections in its northern region, which were boycotted by the ethnic Serb minority. The newly elected Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovo’s riot police last Friday.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but the country refuses to recognize Kosovo’s statehood.

The European Political Community summit took place in Bulboaca near Chisinau, Moldova’s capital. It brought together the leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states and their counterparts from 20 other European nations.​​​​​​​

The European Political Community was created in May last year in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to address critical challenges facing Europe, including energy security, stability and resilience.

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