Serb mayors were sworn into office on Friday in the four Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo in a move seen as a retaking of power in the north of the country after a long period of boycotts and sometimes violent tensions.

The municipalities were Serb-run until late 2022, but had been led by ethnic Albanian mayors since 2023, when ethnic Serbs abandoned Kosovo institutions and boycotted local elections in a protest against the Prishtina government’s policies towards the Serb minority. The ethnic Albanian mayors were elected by default on very low turnouts when Serbs stayed away from the polls.

The swearing-in of the Serb mayors, who are from the Belgrade-backed party representing Kosovo Serbs, Srpska Lista, was carried out in front of a Kosovo flag and a photo of the Kosovo president.

However, a Serbian flag was held by people who attended the ceremony. One assembly member of the municipality of Zubin Potok offered the Serbian flag to its new mayor, Milos Perovic.

Milan Radojevic, the new mayor of North Mitrovica, said that it was time to “close a dark chapter together, to work in the interest of citizens and the municipality of North Mitrovica.

“I believe that together we will bring prosperity to our citizens and that we will be proud of this multi-ethnicity again and the coexistence that exists in our municipality,” Radojevic added.

The new mayor of Zvecan, Dragisa Milovic, and the new mayor of Leposavic, Zoran Todic, were also sworn in.

Acting Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said on Facebook that “everything was conducted in an orderly manner and in accordance with the provisions stemming from the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo”.

During November’s local election campaign, Srpska Lista admitted it had made a mistake in abandoning Kosovo institutions including the mayoralties in late 2022, but said the decision had attracted the attention of the international community to the issues facing Kosovo Serbs.

After the new ethnic Albanian mayors took office, the security situation in the north of the country deteriorated, with outbreaks of violence. lashes between protesters and NATO peacekeeping forces led to around 30 soldiers being wounded or injured, with one having a leg amputated.

Kosovo authorities also shut down a series of ‘parallel’ Serb-run institutions – illegal services run outside of government control – in the north of the country.

The European Union imposed measures against Kosovo in June 2023 in response to the security issues. These measures continue to be in force, although senior European officials have predicted their gradual lifting.

There was also a vote in April last year in the four Serb-majority municipalities, sparked by petitions by locals. Voters could cast ballots in favour or against the dismissal of the ethnic Albanian mayors who had taken over in 2023. But the turnout was low, because of a boycott by Serbs, allowing for the Albanian mayors to remain in power until this year’s vote.