3 November 2013 – Kosovo will hold local elections. For the Serb-held northern municipalities, the elections mark the end of Serbian and the beginning of Kosovo administration, the transition from one country to another. Pristina believes November will cement its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Belgrade hopes the European Union will reward its cooperation with membership talks early in 2014. The local population of northern Kosovo does not want these elections, and wavers between appeals to boycott or to vote. Much depends on the outcome: peace and security in northern Kosovo, the evolution of Kosovo and Serbia’s relations, the viability of Kosovo’s model of decentralized government, and the region’s European vocation. This, the first of two reports, surveys the views of northern Kosovo leaders, Pristina and Belgrade and looks at what is needed for a successful outcome. A second report will survey the landscape after the elections and examine the steps all sides should take to build and strengthen local institutions. [Read More: Something Completely Different in Northern Kosovo]
