Author: birnEU

During the first round, Begaj won 41.89 percent of votes, while Salih Morina won 26.19 percent of votes.

In the second half of the “Life in the Municipality” debate in October 2013, the candidates were faced with the promises they made during the first round, while during the second part they presented their strategies. Both candidates presented five projects on slides.

Begaj’s first project was building the Nuhi Mazreku elementary school in Gurisht, which will cost 300,000 euro and be completed in 2014. Other elementary schools that will be constructed include Imer Krasniqi in Carralluk, costing 250,000 euro; Ramadan Morina in Damanek, costing 300,000 euro; and Deshmoret e Kombit school in Bubavec, costing of 300,000 euro.

Another project presented was building a water supply factory in Drenoci, costing 3 million euro. The construction time for this project is divided and will be completed by 2015.

The accumulation project for a cave in Panorci is an investment worth 400,000 euro. Also, the canalization project costs 400,000 euro.

The total cost of investments is 6.98 million euro.

Morina’s project focuses on building a nursery, costing 200,000 euro. Other projects include constructing an elementary school in Damanek, a cost of 580,000 euro and creating an elementary school in Guriq, costing 300,000 euro.

Another LDK project is in Malisheva and it focuses on constructing the Emergency Center, which costs 420,000 euro and will be completed in 2015.

Urbanization projects mentioned including constructing transit roads with a cost of 3.2 million euro, construction of water collector with a cost of 650,000 euro, infrastructure development of the Mirdita neighborhood with a cost of 650,000 euro.

Morina also mentioned projects concerning agriculture. These projects include building 20 small greenhouses, costing 400,000 euro which will increase the number of commercial farms for milk consumption. He also promised to build a youth centre with a total cost of 150,000 euro.

Total cost of investments is 7.54 million euro.

During the second round, Begaj won with 65.8 percent of votes.

Haziri said during the “Life in the Municipality” run-off debate in November that the elections on November 3 went well. Also, Haziri didn’t show slides to present his strategy.

The LDK candidate was faced with the promises he made during the first set of elections and was given the possibility to explain and present his projects and their cost.

Some promises he made during the first round were that 40 percent of the total income of around 3.8 million euro will go toward basic infrastructure. Another project includes the sewers, which will be co-financed by the government, European Commission and the municipality. He also mentioned that 8 million euro of investment is needed for education.

Haziri also said that debts will be the municipality’s responsibility, and that other forms of debt should be reported to Ministry of Finance. In the first debate, he said said he would reduce taxes in 2014.

Some of Haziri’s main priorities mentioned were: Developing the city, stadium of the city, local businesses, canalization, improving educational infrastructure, industrial areas that will cost around 1 million euro.

During the debate Mustafa complained that Haziri had no reason to not face him during the debate. The PDK candidate dealt with the promises he made during the first debate – presented his projects. He promised to reform public administration, economic development of around 23 million euro and also collaborate with different municipalities.

 

During the debate, Ahmeti discussed three projects during the first set of debates and explained them in greater detail, especially the water supply project and the school and public transportation project. He focused on public nurseries and improving each neighborhood. 

According to Ahmeti, the municipality doesn’t belong to Vetevendosje, but to citizens, he invited all assembly members to present their ideas.

Through a powerpoint presentation, he said that they will create a long term budget plan. He also added that Prishtina municipality’s budget will be increased in four years from 32 million to 52 million euro.
He presented 12 points and declared that he claims full responsibility if his promises are not fulfilled.

“We will have political and social responsibility in case we fail to implement this program,” Ahmeti said.
He pledged twenty-four-hour water supply, affordable nurseries, education, an educational staff this is not affiliated with politics and free meals for elementary students.

The candidate was challenged by moderator Jeta Xharra regarding the cost of the meals, he said would be 350,000 euro. The calculations of the candidate did not match up to the moderator’s. According to Xharra, estimating the costs of the meals to be 1 euro each, said the total cost would reach 2.7 million euro in 19 months.

Ahmeti said that the meals will be small and the cost will range from 10 cents to 15 cents. He continued discussing the domestic product market, creating space for local producers, and saying he will make an agreement with Prishtina restaurants to use domestic products.

Ahmeti also promised to regulate the issue of buildings that lack permission from the municipality. He said that as mayor, he will put an end to illegal buildings.

Health care and local decisionmaking are other priorities that Ahmeti mentioned in his presentation.

“I alongside the citizens in every neighbourhood,” Ahmeti says.

At the end, he said that would be remembered “for non-stop water … in the municipality of Prishtina.”

Sokol Haliti from LDK and Nexhmedin Arifi from PDK faced each other during the municipal debate and received more votes during the first round of elections.

Haliti said that he was expecting better results from the first set of elections; he also declared that LDK will have the highest number of seats in the assembly, a total of 10 seats.

According to Arifi, Viti showed the highest level of participation in the elections. He also said that PDK made a coalition with AAK and AKR.

“I think that the people of Viti are trusting the local leadership, but there were some difficulties that hampered me. That is the reason we had this result. I strongly believe that in the second round we will improve the results for PDK and the coalition,” he said.

Discussing the promises made during the TV debate, Arifi mentioned the reconstruction of two schools in Pozhoran and Begunce. Haliti said that he will divert 6.7 percent from the total budget in order to repair education conditions.
Arifi also mentioned that he will keep his promise of investing 200,000 euro for the environmental efforts, while his opponent planned to invest 1.5 million euro.

Arifi also promised to build the Family Health Centre, which according to him will be built in the beginning of 2014 and the construction will take three to four months. However, Haliti said that if he wins, he will create 13 family health centres. He also promised to increase the number of employees in these centers.

Haliti declared that he will invest 1 million euro on culture in the next four years.

Haliti mentioned that his priorities are to repair the sewage network, road infrastructure, economic development, offer better education conditions, improve sport and culture sectors, and increase public access to information.

According to him, the total budget to implement these changes is 14.8 million euro.

Arifi’s said his first project would be the cleaning of the cleaning of Morava river – a project supported by the European Commission, which would begin in March 2014. Regarding the problems of the water supply plant and sewers – he said those would be addressed within two years.

“I think that those who doesn’t speak about this in public are becoming collaborators,” he said during a “Life in the Municipality” run-off debate in November 2013Stojanovic said that during the pre-election process there were threats against would-be voters. He also complained that ones of his opponents broke the prescribed elections silence by discussing his victory on TV.
CIS candidate Branimir Stojanovic said that the electoral process was largely proper, with just minor problems.
“On the election day there were some problematic moments, [but] I think the entities responsible for security acted properly,” he added.
He added there was an attempt to trade votes, but police intervened in time to stop this.
Regarding street dogs, Bojan Stojanovic said this is a problem throughout Kosovo and there should be places establishes where dogs would be sterilized. Branimir Stojanovic said the problem is the result of neglect, and promised to establish proper place to take care of the dogs.
The candidates also addressed the lack of a school in Kishnica village, and agreed one should be built.

He said officials working for Serbian institutions were threatened with being fired if they did not vote. Mirkovic also talked also about the development of spa tourism, and said there were problems with property issues.

“When it comes to the development of spa tourism and expanding the mineral water factory, the main problem we have is property, which in the past used to be property of the Kllokot spa and nowadays is property of the Kosovo Privatization Agency.”

What was disturbing, according to him, was that people came from Serbia to vote. “Mainly, the highest level of participation was from the Serbian community,” he said. He said that the municipality has been working for the past six years to build a water plant. The municipality has continuously asked the Hidro Morava company to implement this, he said.

In this municipality the sewage is discharged directly into the Lepenc River. Redzic blamed the municipal government for permitting the pollution of the river. He said that he has already a strategic plan to clean this river.