2013 local elections were organised for the first time in the whole territory of Kosovo, including in Leposavić/Leposaviq, Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, Zubin Potok, and Zvečan/Zveçan. This presents a new phase in Kosovo’s development after its declaration of independence in 2008. While on the one hand, participation of all citizens and ethnic communities in the elections is a positive sign for Kosovo’s fledgling democracy and rule of law, on the other hand the election of parties and Mayors that contest Kosovo’s authority and status represents a major challenge to the institutions of the state.

Today, on Human Rights Day, the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) Kosovo would like to reiterate its unwavering support for the advancement of human rights and minority rights in Kosovo. An organisation dedicated to fighting for the human rights of all citizens, particularly those belonging to minority communities, ECMI Kosovo would also like to call on government institutions and the international community to strengthen their efforts to respect, protect and fulfill human rights in Kosovo.

Violence against women is a human rights violation, a consequence of the discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of the persisting inequalities between men and women. Up to 70% of women and girls experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime. Domestic violence also remains one of the most prevalent forms of violence against women in Kosovo. As 46% of women living in Kosovo cited evidence of domestic violence in their neighbourhood, and 12% had witnessed a husband beating his spouse.2 However, more than half of the women suffering it did not report to the police.

On 27 November 2013, ECMI Kosovo and its partner organisations held the certification ceremony for successful participants of two key programmes implemented throughout 2013, aimed at mainstreaming community rights within civil service and empowering minority civil society. These programmes are an example of ECMI Kosovo’s dual approach of working to increase the capacities of government officials and institutions to effectively implement the extensive legal framework for the protection and promotion of minority rights in Kosovo, while also supporting communities to actively participate in decision-making and advocate for their interests and rights.

This publication presents ECMI Kosovo’s preliminary analysis of the results after the first round of the local elections, focusing on the Serb community. It also draws conclusions from the voter education campaign implemented throughout the pre-election period in 28 locations, as well as from the observation mission deployed on the day of the elections in 37 polling stations.

ECMI Kosovo has drafted an information bulletin on local elections to be held on 3 November 2013 throughout Kosovo. The elections will be the first ones to be organised under the Kosovo legal framework in northern Kosovo, in application of the 19 April agreement between Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade. The information bulletin presents the number of candidates from minority communities running for the 2013 local elections throughout Kosovo, with a focus on Serb-majority municipalities. It also provides an analysis of the key issues related to the participation of the Serb community, both north and south of Ibër/Ibar river. Finally, it draws conclusions from the large-scale voter education campaign conducted by ECMI Kosovo during the month of October in nine Serb-majority municipalities, including northern Kosovo.