In a re-vote in three polling centres in mainly Serbian northern Kosovo, locals will again try to choose their mayors after violence marred the November 3 vote.

Polls opened at 7am Sunday in three polling centres in the divided northern half of the town of Mitrovica in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo.

Some 2,000 people have already cast their vote by noon, from a total of 23,000 voters. No incidents or irregularities have been reported.

The votes are another phase in the first local elections organized by Kosovo government taking place also in the north.

The candidates are Oliver Ivanovic, former state secretary in the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo, Krstimir Pantic of the Serbian government-backed list “Srpska”, Adrijana Hodzic, who is running as an independent, Agim Deva of the Kosovo Democratic Party and Dimitrije Janicijevic of the Independent Liberal Party.

The repeat vote comes after unknown assailants attacked three polling stations in northern Mitrovica on November 3, causing several to close early.

Citing security threats, the OSCE withdrew its staff from the attacked polling centres on November 3, but on Sunday it will send some 60 members back for the repeat vote.

This time, the Central Election Commission in Kosovo, CEC, said all necessary preparations had been made so the process runs smoothly.

Kosovo police are also on the alert for troublemakers trying to disrupt the repeat round of local elections.

“As the elections on November 17 will only be held in three polling centers, enough police will be on the ground,” Baki Kelani, Kosovo Police spokesperson assured Balkan Insight.

BIRN has learned from sources in the north that members of the Belgrade-backed list have scheduled a rally for noon, urging everyone who works in the state administration in Mitrovica to show up with their families and then together go to vote.

“Those who do not show up will face layoffs, they were told,” the source told BIRN.

Meanwhile, Serbs opposed to the elections have issued a guide on how to boycott the repeated vote. According to the guide, people should turn off their mobile phones and not leave their homes on Sunday.

The outcome of the election in the north is considered a crucial element of the EU-brokered deal in April on normalizing relations between Pristina and Belgrade.

Candidates of the “Srpska” list gained most votes from the 7,856 ballots cast in Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok on November 3.

Candidates of “Srpska” will thus become mayor in all three mainly Serbian municipalities.

Kosovo last held local elections in 2009. However, encouraged by the government in Serbia, most people in the north ignored them./balkaninsight/