The change of official names of settlements in Kosovo is linked to decision-making, in which Serbian MPs have a veto. This has meant that, even after more than two decades, toponyms inherited from the period of Serbian administration continue to appear in official documents, and are also widely used.
For a week, the citizens of Ferizaj have launched an initiative that will test the legal reality in Kosovo, which more than 26 years after liberation continues to maintain Serbian toponyms in force.
Through a legal initiative supported by signatures, they demand that "Urosevac" be removed from official documents.
The initiator of this initiative, Bashkim Fazliu, said that the request aims to remove the toponymy placed during the occupation period.
"This petition in no way violates the rights of any community in Kosovo, not even the Serbian community. On the contrary, we have requested the abolition of an occupier's name, which has no connection with the name 'Urosevac'. We request that the name Ferizaj remain the official name, that is, in Albanian, Serbian and English," he said.
Serbia changed the names of almost all settlements in Kosovo during the occupation. They were not changed after liberation because the international administration did not initially allow this. And after independence, this was made impossible by the veto that Serbs have in decision-making on a number of laws, including the one on the administrative boundaries of municipalities, which includes the names of cities and villages.
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Local government expert Bekim Salihu said that without a vote in the Communities Assembly, the law cannot be changed.
"All amendments/changes to laws that affect this dimension are laws of vital interest, which means that 2/3 of the votes of the non-majority community in the Assembly of Kosovo are required. This means that naming a settlement can be done informally, but in a formal or institutional form, this requires consensus and compromise," Salihu declared.
After the war, a commission was set up to propose changing the names of the settlements, but they were not formalized.
Some of the new toponyms, such as the one for Drenas, have come into use. However, the Slavic version has remained the one used in official documents.
However, citizens have expressed their willingness to change the names of settlements.
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Naser Emini has said that the term "Urosevac" should not be used for Ferizaj.
"Such an initiative must be taken. Will it be done sooner or later, the main thing is that the initiative has been taken. I appreciate it very much and the city of Ferizaj needs this," he said.
And the initiator of removing the term "Urosevac" has expressed his belief that the law can be changed, even without the votes of Serbs.
"Take Zubin-Potoku, we call it Albanian, it is not an Albanian variant at all, while it is exclusively a name in the Serbian language. We are not dealing with that issue. Therefore, this has no basis whatsoever. If someone tries to manipulate the public opinion that Serbian votes are needed, they are absolutely not needed, nor is their support needed," Fazliu said.
While the citizens of Ferizaj demand that the city's name be consistent with everyday usage and local identity, the official change of toponyms remains tied to the constitutional reality that gives Serbian MPs a veto in decision-making.
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Changing the name of a municipality in Kosovo can be done through the Law on Administrative Boundaries of Municipalities, by amending the law in the Assembly. To pass in the Assembly, a double majority of votes is required. According to Article 81 of the Constitution, for laws of vital interest, this means that the vote of the majority of deputies present and voting, as well as the majority of deputies from minorities, is required. There are 20 seats for communities in the Assembly. Of these, 10 are reserved for the Serb community.
Rezana Bozhlani
