With the swearing-in of mayors of four municipalities in northern Kosovo, a ‘Priština occupation’ of those regions was formalized on Thursday, assessed Petar Petković, who is responsible in the Serbian government for affairs related to the former Serbian province.

Kosovo: Albanian mayor takes office in Serb-majority area

A mayor from Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian ruling party was sworn into office in the majority Serb half of the divided town of Mitrovica on Friday a…

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The politician commented on the assumption of the posts of mayors in Serbian-majority towns by politicians of Albanian origin, who won seats in elections boycotted by Serbs with a turnout of little more than 3 percent.

“Probably never in the history of democracy has there been an election with such an insignificant turnout. And those who decide the standards of democracy in the modern world have recognized such an election,” Petković said, quoted by the Tanjug Agency.

“It is the Serbs, and not Albin Kurti [Kosovo’s prime minister], who will decide the destiny of their people,” the politician stressed. “Kurti is responsible for this act of rape of democracy and human rights.”

On Thursday, politicians of Albanian origin were sworn in as mayors in three Serb-majority towns in northern Kosovo. Last Friday, Erden Atić of the Kosovo Prime Minister’s party took power over North Mitrovica. This was the first time an Albanian headed a Serbian town in northern Kosovo.

The new leaders of the municipalities of Zvečan, Leposavić, and Zubin Potok received 114, 100 and 200 votes, respectively, in the April by-elections – which were boycotted by Serbs. Voter turnout was less than 3.5 percent.

Belgrade lost control of Kosovo after NATO’s 1999 military campaign and has been refusing to recognize the independence of its former province, which was declared in 2008.