Ethnic Serb mayors, backed by Serbia, took office in four northern Kosovo towns after a 2025 election, easing a two-year crisis.

Ethnic Serb mayors from the Srpska Lista party, backed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, were sworn in Friday in four northern Kosovo municipalities—Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Leposavic, and Zvecan—following October 2025 local elections. Their installation marks a step toward stability after a two-year governance crisis triggered by a 2023 Serb boycott of elections and clashes with NATO peacekeepers that injured over two dozen troops. Though violence has subsided, tensions persist over Kosovo’s failure to implement an EU-brokered provision for an association of Serb municipalities. Kosovo, declared independent in 2008 but not recognized by Serbia, remains a flashpoint in regional tensions stemming from the 1990s conflicts. The new mayors say they aim to serve their communities and move past divisions.