Tag: Kosovo

The mayoral candidates of the municipality of Novo Brdo, which debates on RTV2, on Monday, spared no promises for their fellow citizens.

Avdullah Gashi from AAK said he would fight corruption and the mismanagement in the municipality whereas Srdjan Jovanovic of “Buducnost za Novobrdo ” (Future for Novo Brdo) said he would improve the life of citizens

Ranko Makic, of the SLS, praised his party for good governance in municipalities where it holds power. He implied that his governing of the municipalities would not be infused with politics, but would be committed to the welfare of citizens.

Nazmi Siarina, PDK’s candidate, said he would restructure the municipality by reducing the number of directors from nine to five. Siarina planed to create three separate municipal sectors, while Zeke Zeka from Vetevendosje promised 24-hour water and 50 flats for new couples with housing problems.

The current mayor, Ymer Bajrushi, of LDK, praised the work he has done as the mayor of this municipality in the last two mandates, saying he was running for the third term in order to continue with the good work.

The mayor has no plans for agriculture

Ymeri did not have any actual projects for the development of agriculture, while AAK’s mayoral candidate, Ymer Gashi accused Bajrush Avdullah of neglecting the Director of Agriculture’s participation in the allocation of subsidies to farmers. This, however is carried out directly by the deputy mayor who provides the other directors with a list specifying which farmers should receive agricultural subsidies.

In contracts to the above, other candidates did have plans for  agricultural development.  Jovanovic  said he would increase the budget of this sector by 50 percent and help build dairy milk farms.

Zeka also promised a budget increase for agriculture, while Siarina said he would establish a municipal office, which would help farmers design their projects by providing support from the municipal finances.

Makic said he would increase subsidies for agriculture and build small livestock farms.

Dysfunctional sewage

The SLS representative complained about the municipal sewage network, considering it disastrous and stated that it needs reconstructing.

Zeka said that the sewage system is not functioning properly, citing the case of Llabjan village, where sewage flows into the private fields. Gazeta Jeta ne Kosove wrote about this issue in September.

Jovanovic and Gashi  guaranteed solutions to the sewage issue. Mayor Ymeri said that in general the sanitation network is functional, while acknowledging that there may be defects which require repair.

Water shortage

Novo Brdo  has no company that manages the water supply, although the current mayor implied that in 2011 the Kosovo government had decided that the Hidromorava  regional water company would manage the water supply.

Ymer complained that this responsibility has not been taken yet by this company, while  Siarina said Hidromorava would not be able to do so due to the high maintenance cost.

Zeka accused the current mayor for not convincing Hidromorava to take responsibility.

Candidates promised to open new clinics and extend the operating hours for the family medical center, but Ymer told his opponents not to promise things that are financially impossible.

The health center in Novo Brdo currently closes at 4 pm.

Kacanik’s palm trees, planted alongside river Nerodime in 2011, heated the debate between the candidates vying for the mayor of this municipality. Most candidates said that the project was a failed one because most of the trees are dried out because of lack of maintenance.

It was only Selim Reka (LDK) who had a milder approach the palm tree project, noting that the project has been partially successful, bearing in mind that some of the trees are still healthy because cafe owners take care of them.

Apart from Reka, the following are also vying for the mayor of Kacanik: Besim Ilazi (PDK), Afide Kuka (LVV) Avni Tafili (Justice Party), Bardhyl Mjaku (AKR), and Tahit Caka (AAK).

Caka who came second during the extraordinary elections in 2012, was not present in the “Life in Kosovo” debate. According to the AAK branch in Kacanik, Caka was on an official trip abroad.

Bardhyl Mjaku (AKR) has admitted to have been an internet service provider and “dreambox” dealer, which are illegal in Kosovo, since they steal TV channels from other platforms with special satellite devices. Despite this illegal activity, he promised that should he be elected a mayor, he will not breach the law again.

The main problems faced by Kacanik citizens are the water supply, sewage system, road infrastructure, for which the Ilazi from PDK promised improvements.

Candidates running for mayor of Kacanik have promised progress in agriculture, the fight against corruption, as well as investment in healthcare and education.

Jeta Xharra, host of “Life in Kosovo,” asked Demaku the same question three times without receiving an answer.

The question was simple: What message would you like to give to people who have manipulated votes in previous elections?

He said, “All manipulated votes not only the PDK”.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Christopher Dell, said during the 2010 local elections  that  “industrial theft of votes” took place, while most of the irregularities were reported in Drenas and Skenderaj.

Tough questions were addressed to other candidates by citizens, BIRN and GAP researchers.

Shaban Hasi, AAK’s candidate, was asked why he was arrested in Switzerland in 2008 for misuse of disability pension –  to which he responded by saying that he was a suspect but everything got cleared up.

Rifat Demaku from Vetevendosje  was asked why he doesn’t carry the Albanian flag on his suit like the rest of the members of his party –  to which he responded by saying “I carry the flag in my heart.”

Izzet Ibrahim from the Civic Initiative for Drenas was asked about a shopping mall he built during his time as Mayor of Drenas in 2000-2002, which is considered a failed project.

Ibrahim said the mall only needs to be put into operation.

People were interested to hear more regarding the water supply, as only 10 percent of Drenas residents have access to the public water network.

Candidates promised that they will solve this problem during the next four years if elected.

All candidates gave various solutions, mostly theoretical, to problems Drenas people face every day.

The debate continued with arguments on various issues.

Residents mentioned rock quarries that threaten their lives, while the c Demaku said he will continue to improve sanitation and water supply network.

All but the LDK’s candidate agreed for their families to be interviewed.

The candidates accused the current mayor of Dragash of corruption, misuse of official position and bad management of the municipality. Meanwhile, the current mayor and PDK’s mayoral candidate, Salim Januzaj, tried to fight these accusations.

All but one candidate for mayor took part in the debate. Safet Kushi from the Bosnian Initiative CDU did not participate.

Other candidates were: Bledi Kurtishi from VETVENDOSJE, Fatmir Mehmeti from LDK, Nexhat Isufi from Democratic Union, Nuhi Tairovci from VAKAT, Salim Jonuzi from PDK, Selami Sait from AAK and Nevxhet Tahiri from the National Front.

In the first two minutes, candidates unveiled their municipality programs, in which all promised to improve issues with the supply of running water, infrastructure, state of education and tourism development, but failed to explain the financing of these promises.

The disagreements were mainly among LDK, National Front, Democratic Union and the PDK candidates, while Nuhia Tairovci from VAKAT was more or less silent.

A business center full of garbage

Salim Januzaj, from PDK, praised himself for building the business center in Dragash, but remained speechless when the host of the program reminded him that the center was filled with garbage. He failed to provide an answer when asked about the removal of the garbage.

Fatmir Mehmeti of LDK, said Salim Januzaj has in fact created another illegal landfill by building the business center; there is a total of 20 illegal landfills in Dragash.

The National Front candidate admitted his wrongdoing when admitting to not paying his parking tax since. His reasoning behind this is the continuous disagreement with the town’s municipal current government. Xhevxhet Tahiri has been failing to pay parking tax for ten years now.

Salim Jonuzi was once again humiliated when asked whether his morals allow him to run for another mayoral mandate knowing he has been charged with the abuse of power.

Jonuzi declared not guilty to the charges.

Furthermore, the National Front candidate admitted he doesn’t pay the property tax either, hence failed to explain how he would collect the huge property tax debts of Dragash citizens.

Tahiri promised to pay his debt if elected mayor.

Selami Saiti from AAK stated he aided fellow citizens to bypass queues in the Prizreni hospital.
He works at the Radiology Department of the Daut Mustafa Hospital in Prizren.

The debate touched upon other issues, such as violence in schools of Dragash and low participation of women in education and employment. All candidates promised to work these issues.

The candidates running for the mayor of this municipality are Sokol Bashota (PDK), Fadil Gashi (LDK), Hajzer Idrizi (LVV), Enver Berisha (AAK), Avni Gashi (AKR), Prend Buzhala (PShDK) and FIlip Berisha (PDI)
The current mayor and Bashota inaugurated the new water factory and the building of the culture centre during the electoral campaign.

Challenged by host Jeta Xharra, on the reasons why they were inaugurated during the campaign, Bashota said that the project were completed during his mandate, although he has made this electoral pledge for two years now.

The 2013 municipal report of the GAP Institute reveals that Klina, with six rivers flowing in its territory has only 23 per cent of its population connected to the public water supply network.

The new water factory will be ready in February 2014, although the municipality has failed to pay its debt of around 300,000 euro to few Dutch and Kosovar construction companies, which has become an obstacle in launching the plant.

During the debate, Bashota said that he had paid the last installment of his debt two days ago, adding that in ten-days time citizens of Klina will have plenty of drinking water.

Klina does not have a Culture Centre, and nor does it have a library. Most of the candidates promised that they will accommodate a library inside the new building of the Culture House. Klina has an overpopulated kindergarten, where the number of children is well above fifty.

The 2013 municipal report from Gap Institute notes that the municipality of Klina has spent more money on the maintenance of cars then on the maintenance of schools, with mayor Bashota’s 67,000 euro Range Rover being one of them.

Filip Berisha (PDI) pledged that the municipality would have only three departments, should he come to power. This model of governance, according to him, was a European one. At the moment, Klina has six municipal departments, renowned for their large spending of public money.

Prend Buzhala (PShDK) was challenged for his political turns he had made in his career, switching between three political parties before. Buzhala said that even the English politician Winston Churchill has changed three parties, but not his principles, claiming that the same is true for himself.

The Vetevendosje candidate, Hajzer Idrizi, answered a question about the equipment in the Youth Centre after it closed down. Idrizi said that all the equipment belonging to the said centre were there and that nobody has touched them.

Enver Berisha (AAK), running for multiple times for this political party, spoke about the reasons why he still is the candidate for the AAK. Berisha said that he would have been the winner of previous elections, had the process not been manipulated, and that is why he enjoys the faith of his political party to run again for Klina. He said that Bashota’s victory in previous elections was embarrassing.

In the meantime, Bashota labeled Berisha from AAK and Gashi from LDK as “veterans of losing”, warning them that the same will happened again during the November 3 elections.
 

Kacanik’s palm trees, planted alongside river Nerodime in 2011, heated the debate between the candidates vying for the mayor of this municipality. Most candidates said that the project was a failed one because most of the trees are dried out because of lack of maintenance.

It was only Selim Reka (LDK) who had a milder approach the palm tree project, noting that the project has been partially successful, bearing in mind that some of the trees are still healthy because cafe owners take care of them.

Apart from Reka, the following are also vying for the mayor of Kacanik: Besim Ilazi (PDK), Afide Kuka (LVV) Avni Tafili (Justice Party), Bardhyl Mjaku (AKR), and Tahit Caka (AAK).

Caka who came second during the extraordinary elections in 2012, was not present in the “Life in Kosovo” debate. According to the AAK branch in Kacanik, Caka was on an official trip abroad.

Bardhyl Mjaku (AKR) has admitted to have been an internet service provider and “dreambox” dealer, which are illegal in Kosovo, since they steal TV channels from other platforms with special satellite devices. Despite this illegal activity, he promised that should he be elected a mayor, he will not breach the law again.

The main problems faced by Kacanik citizens are the water supply, sewage system, road infrastructure, for which the Ilazi from PDK promised improvements.

Candidates running for mayor of Kacanik have promised progress in agriculture, the fight against corruption, as well as investment in healthcare and education.

Apart from the current mayor of the Gjakova municipality, Lekaj from AAK, who is running to secure another term, the candidates include Luan Gola from LDK, Hajdar Beqa from PDK, Arberie Nagavci of Vetevendosje and Mimoza Kusari-Lila from AKR.

Gjakova municipality is the only municipality to have two female candidates running for mayor.
During the debate the candidates of AKR, LVV and LDK criticized Lekaj’s current government in Gjakova. The PDK candidate, however, tried to attract voters by bringing up the Prime Minister and the Government of Kosovo, as if the elections were national and not local.

Once again Pal Lekaj from AAK and Mimoza Kusari-Lila from AKR are facing each other in the race for Gjakova. In their last confrontation, in the 2009 elections, Lekaj arose as the winner.

Both parties were confronted about the employment issue. Lekaj, who won the elections four years ago, had promised seven to eight thousand jobs. He apologized for failing to fulfill this promise, however promised he would achieve it during the next term.

Kusari-Lila avoided talking directly about the employment issue by tackling the infrastructure development of the town.

LDK’s Gola could not explain why his party keeps on losing votes in Gjakova, securing only 1,000 in the 2009 elections.

Gola reasoned that he does not know why the LDK has lost support since he was not a member of the governing structures of LDK in Gjakova before.

Beqa from PDK was asked why he, as the executive chief of the Iber-Lepenc public company, employed his wife. Not managing to answer the question, he also failed to recall even when he got married. Likewise he failed to give an answer as to why he employed Adem Grabovci’s wife, another member of PDK, at Iber-Lepenc.

Arberie Nagavci from Vetevendosje was asked by Gjakova citizens and investigative researchers of BIRN why she spent more time on trainings than in the elementary school, Yll Morina, where she was the headmistress.

She said such allegations come from slandering members of the ruling party – AAK, because, according to her, many people from school’s staff are members of this party.

Nagavci praised her time as the headmistress of the school, saying to saw that many projects were completed at the school.

Part of the debate was concerned Lekaj’s attempt to repair Gjakova’s Old Bazaar by replacing old cobblestones with flat stone tiles from Gllareva. The project was considered harmful to the cultural heritage and halted by the Ministry of Culture.

Nagavci from LVV accused the mayor Lekaj of selling old cobblestones or giving them to private people to pave their gardens. Lekaj denied such accusations, and was again accused once more by his opponents of undermining the economic development of the Old Bazaar.

Lekaj was criticized for giving out tenders without following necessary procedures. Gola from LDK, also criticized the mayor of Gjakova for not presenting the 1 million-euro worth project for reparation of the Old Bazaar to the town’s municipal assembly.

Mimoza Kusari-Lila spoke out about the current property situation, stating that four municipal officials have benefited from the publically owned properties.

Each of the candidates spoke about fixing roads and the lack of building permits, while Lekaj took criticism for the recycling system, which has not been completed.

In addition to the above, all candidates promised the citizens of Gjakova once again that they will pay more devotion to sports, running water, health, economic development and employment.

In the first two minutes that each candidate used to talk broadly about their political offer, all of them emphasized the importance of having economic development as a main priority.

Arber Rexhaj, Vetevendosje’s candidate said that economic development will be achieved through investments in culture and tourism while he promised to also invest in agriculture. Kosovo’s Conservative Party’s candidate said that his party has a master plan for economic development through the creation of an industrial zone of 200,000 hectares. Eqrem Kryeziu from LDK spent his first minutes criticizing the current government but did not provide any alternatives of his own on how to resolve the problems. The current Mayor, who comes from PDK, Ramadan Muja did not take part in the debate while Eqrem Kryeziu, a former mayor of Prizren promised sufficient drinking water for all citizens.

These debates were also characterized by the portrayals of candidates made by their wives, with one telling what an enthusiastic reader her husband is or others praising their husband for being good at house chores and helping them out.