Presentation of the research “The Mayor – Representative or Dominant?”

Venue: Hotel Grand
Date:7 November 2012

Speakers:

Slobodan Petrovic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government Administration

Besnik Tahiri, Master of Science in Decentralised Governance and International Development

Menduh Vlashi, Chairperson of the Municipal Assembly – Hani i Elezit

Besa Luzha, Representative of FES

Fatmir Matoshi, Director of the NGO “D-Press”

Leonora Kryeziu, Director of the Prishtina School of Politics

Topics

• Local Government Reform and Decentralisation in Kosovo – different institutions, different views?
• Accountability in Local Governance – The Mayor – Representative or Dominant
• The Triangle in Local Government: Mayor (executive) – Municipal Assembly (legislative) – Citizen (civil society) – The Municipal Perspective

The Kosovo Local Government Institute recommends reviewing the salaries of Municipal Assembly members in order to raise the quality of the Assemblies’ work. KLGI warns of degradation and a lack of interest among various experts in running for the Assemblies if they are bound by law to work only as assembly members on the current pay. Prishtina, 7 November 2012 – The Kosovo Local Government Institute held its annual conference, at which the study entitled “The Mayor – Representative or Dominant?” was presented.

This publication analyses the institutional balance between the institution of the Mayor and the Municipal Assembly and the Executive, as well as the Mayor’s relations with local actors and citizens.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr Slobodan Petrovic, thanked the Kosovo Local Government Institute for its ongoing engagement in the field of local government, and also referred to developments in local governance four years after the adoption of the Constitution. Mr Petrovic stressed that since the decentralisation process began, important steps have been taken, bringing more efficient services to citizens, and that this process must continue.

To this end, according to Mr Petrovic, the recommendations coming from various institutes, civil society and other actors in this process should be taken into consideration.

Mr Besnik Tahiri, Director of the Kosovo Local Government Institute, stressed that ‘The fundamental finding of this publication is that the role of the institution of the mayor in the local governance system of the Republic of Kosovo raises the need for more checks, balance and, above all, internal institutional accountability, as well as accountability to the public”.

Mr Tahiri explained that the publication argues that the very powerful role of the institution of the mayor on the one hand, and the passive role of the Municipal Assembly on the other, combined with civic apathy, results in a democratic deficit that is deeply concerning for local governance developments now and in the future.

According to Mr Tahiri, the publication essentially aims to clarify the position of the institution of the mayor as a key institution in the triangle of mayor (executive) – Municipal Assembly (legislative) – citizen (civil society).

The conference was marked by an interactive debate among municipal officials, civil society representatives and other participants. The conference also presented the perspectives of municipalities and civil society in this process on the relations of the Municipal Assemblies (the legislature) with the Mayor (the executive).

The head of the organisation D-Press, Mr Fatmir Matoshi, stressed that “if one carefully observes the power of the Mayor vis-à-vis the Municipal Assembly, and especially if we analyse this institution’s relations with citizens, we would witness a concentration of power at this address”.

And this reality, according to Mr Matoshi, ought to change, because we are seeing mismanagement of financial resources, poor execution of the mandate, and citizens stripped of influence. Mr Matoshi mentioned the need for legislative changes and for establishing clear accountability practices within institutions as well as in their relations with citizens.

Meanwhile, the recommendations of this study show that: mayors should create clear platforms for communicating with the wider public and citizens, to ensure that policy-making at the municipal level is accountable, inclusive and transparent.
It is also essential that, in addition to the mandatory municipal committees, mayors make efforts to encourage the establishment of sectoral Assembly committees, so as to increase interaction between the municipal legislative and executive bodies.

It is essential that the MLGA and the Association of Municipalities initiate an increase in the income of municipal councillors, while municipalities should provide space for their work and technical support, including offices and other resources sufficient for them to function.

As regards the selection of department directors, KLGI strongly recommends changing the method of selection, moving from appointments to selection through an open competitive process (professional and academic) based on merit and clear criteria. KLGI also recommends creating a separate budget line for civil society organisations in order to increase their active participation