• COVID – 19: 626 new cases, 16 deaths (media)
• Decision on new possible measures to be made today (media)
• Hoti: Draft law on economic recovery will be passed this week (media)
• Vetevendosje wins mayoral election in Podujeva (Prishtina Insight)
• Bulliqi speaks after victory: Podujeva sent a message to Kosovo (media)
• Kurti: This is not an election, this is a referendum (media)
• Mustafa comments on LDK defeat in Podujevo (media)
• Vetevendosje: Elections showed voting can be organised in a pandemic (media)
• EU Head of Office comments on municipal elections on Sunday (media)
• Former KLA member summoned by Specialist Chambers (media)

COVID – 19: 626 new cases, 16 deaths (media)

626 new cases of COVID – 19 and 16 deaths from the virus have been recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 673 patients have recovered from the virus during this time. There are currently 14,745 active cases of coronavirus in Kosovo.

Decision on new possible measures to be made today (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Armend Zemaj said that he will meet on Monday with Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health to decide if new additional restrictive measures will be introduced to fight the spread of COVID – 19 given the high number of new cases and deaths from the virus.

Hoti: Draft law on economic recovery will be passed this week (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said on Saturday he was confident that the draft law on economic recovery will pass its second reading at the Assembly this week.

“I am making a public promise that the law for economic recovery will be adopted next week and this issue will be over with and all other matters will be defined, including the money the citizens will be able to take from their savings, a list of legal changes, as well as the possibility to delay tax obligations, review VAT in the raw material of the local production,” Hoti is quoted by Kosovapress.

He also said he was open to receiving feedback on the law from other parliamentary parties. “I believe we will achieve broad consensus because this law affects all citizens, businesses, families,” Hoti said during a visit to a winery in Suhareka.

Vetevendosje wins mayoral election in Podujeva (Prishtina Insight)

Shpejtim Bulliqi of Vetevendosje has won the mayorship of Podujeva in the first round of voting after securing over 51 percent of the vote, ending two decades of LDK rule in the municipality.

The Central Election Commission, CEC, has announced the result of the extraordinary mayoral election in Podujeva, with Vetevendosje’s Shpejtim Bulliqi winning the contest in the first round of voting.

Securing 51.64 percent of the vote, Bulliqi avoided the need for a run-off, beating LDK’s Nexhmi Rudari into second place with 35.97 percent. Naim Fetahu, the candidate for the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, came third with 12.4 percent. The CEC stated that turnout for the election reached 40.51 percent.

The by-election for the mayorship in Podujeva was triggered after Agim Veliu resigned as mayor to become interior minister in February this year. However, the ongoing coronavirus crisis delayed the election, with the date eventually announced on October 20 by former president Hashim Thaci.

LDK’s defeat will be seen as a major blow for the party, who have governed in the municipality for the past twenty years. In 2017, Agim Veliu won the mayoral run-off election with over 63 percent of the vote.

At a press conference on Sunday night, Veliu appeared alongside Rudari to concede defeat and criticised the winning party, Vetevendosje. “They know how to do good propaganda and to deceive, but soon citizens of Podujeva will understand that they do not know how to govern,” Veliu said.

Bulliqi will have a short first mandate, with local municipal and mayoral elections scheduled for October 2021. Regardless, hundreds of Vetevendosje supporters ignored coronavirus restrictions to celebrate Bulliqi’s victory, with party leader Albin Kurti addressing the crowds in the main square of Podujeva.

“Tonight not only Shpejtim and Vetevendosje won, you as citizens won,” Kurti said. “We have not taken the municipality, we are returning it back to you, dear citizens.”

An extraordinary mayoral election was also held also in the municipality of North Mitrovica due to former mayor Goran Rakic becoming deputy prime minister on June 3.

Rakic will be replaced by his Lista Srpska colleague Milan Radojevic, who won in a landslide victory, securing more than 89 per cent of the vote. According to the CEC, turnout for the election was 39.14 percent.

Bulliqi speaks after victory: Podujeva sent a message to Kosovo (media)

Shpejtim Bulliqi, Vetevendosje's candidate for Podujeva mayor, spoke after the initial results show him winning the elections saying that the vote outcome sent a message to Kosovo.

"I am happy that the citizens of Podujeva conveyed a message to the whole of Kosovo. Time has come for change and this was confirmed for LDK best in Podujeva. The change will happen. The LDK was once a serious party but people that lead it today are something I don't wish to comment on," he said.

According to preliminary results, Bulliqi won 51.64 percent of the votes in the municipality and is followed by the candidate from the Democratic League of Kosovo, Nexhmi Rudari, with 36.97 percent. The candidate from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Niam Fetahu, won 12.4 percent.

Kurti: This is not an election, this is a referendum (media)

Vetevendosje Movement (VV) leader Albin Kurti said after the municipal elections in Podujevo on Sunday, where his party’s candidate Shpejtim Bulliqi won by 51.6 percent, that the victory belongs to every citizen that has voted for Bulliqi to run the municipality.

“This is not an election. What happened this evening was a referendum,” Kurti was quoted as saying. “Not only this evening but in the future too there will be referendums in Kosovo, because the people have chosen Vetevendosje.”

“Our governance will be without discrimination and without privileges. We are not taking the municipality; we are giving you back the municipality. We will be beside you because we are, and we will always be like you.”

Vetevendosje: Elections showed voting can be organised in a pandemic (media)

The Kurti-led Vetevendosje Movement (VV) said in a statement on Sunday after the party’s win in the municipality of Podujevo that these elections showed that voting can be organised even in a pandemic.

“The people are seeking change and delays will only add to the dissatisfaction with the old politics and its corruption,” the statement notes.

Mustafa comments on LDK defeat in Podujevo (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa commented on the results of municipal elections in Podujevo where his party lost the elections after 20 years. Mustafa said the results were unexpected but that they must be accepted.

“It is an unexpected result, but the people’s vote must be respected. In a state of crisis, be it a health, social or economic crisis, people tend to seek solutions through changes. But it was proved that changes often do not bring results,” Mustafa told Klan Kosova on Sunday.

“The LDK needs to rethink its approach, especially toward the demands and needs of the youth. It has greater potential than the Vetevendosje Movement, therefore, it can offer solutions to win back Podujevo as early as October next year.”

EU Head of Office comments on municipal elections on Sunday (media)

The European Union Head of Office in Kosovo, Thomas Szunyog took to Twitter to comment on the municipal elections in Podujevo and Mitrovica North on Sunday. “Appreciate voters who participated in Podujeva/Podujevo and Mitrovica North E-Day affected by #COVID19 restrictions. Active citizens' involvement is important for credible election process and democracy. Good work done by @KQZKosova,” Szunyog tweeted.

Former KLA member summoned by Specialist Chambers (media)

Most news websites reported on Sunday that another former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), Naim Kadolli, has been summoned by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague. Kadolli said in a Facebook post that he will appear in court on December 12.