Sadri Ferati

Sadri Ferati (born 10 June 1957) is a politician in Kosovo. He was minister of local government in the Republic of Kosovo government from 2008 to 2010 and served in the Assembly of Kosovo from 2011 to 2017. Ferati is a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

Early life and career

Ferati was born to a Kosovo Albanian family in Kosovska Mitrovica, in what was then the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija in the People's Republic of Serbia, People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pristina in mining and metallurgy and has worked in the private sector and for state institutions.

Politician

In the 1990s, most members of the Kosovo Albanian community boycotted Serbian state institutions and took part in parallel governing structures. Ferati was a member of the "parallel" Assembly of Kosovo. He later appeared in the seventieth position on the LDK's electoral list in the 2004 Kosovan parliamentary election, which was held under closed list proportional representation, and was not elected when the list won forty-seven seats. ^{[1] [2]}

Ferati became chief executive officer in the local government of southern Mitrovica in 2005. He responded negatively to the Ahtisaari Plan for self-rule in Kosovo two years later, saying that full independence was inevitable and could take the form of a unilateral declaration. ^[3]

He ran for mayor of Mitrovica in the 2007 Kosovan local elections and was defeated in the second round by Bajram Rexhepi of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). ^{[4] [5]}

Minister of Local Government (2008–10)

The 2007 Kosovan parliamentary election did not produce a clear winner and led to a coalition government of the PDK and LDK. On 9 January 2008, Ferati was appointed as minister of local government. ^[6]

Ferati's main policy initiative was decentralization, and much of his attention was focused on integrating Kosovo's Serb community into the political institutions of the Pristina government. Shortly before Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008, he visited Babin Most in Obiliq to meet with Serb returnees who indicated their willingness to remain in an independent state. ^[7] On more than one occasion, he pledged that his government would ensure the safety of Serb returnees generally. ^{[8] [9]} In the same period, Ferati also supported the efforts of displaced Albanians to return to their homes into the predominantly Serb northern part of Mitrovica. ^[10]

After Kosovo's declaration of independence, the Serbian government held its own parallel local elections in Kosovo in May 2008. Ferati indicated that Kosovo's government would not recognize the results or co-operate with the elected officials. ^[11] He was quoted as saying, "Serbia will never establish its institutions in Kosovo; Serbian laws will not be implemented in Kosovo. We are offering an opportunity for everyone to be equal, for everyone to perceive the state and its institutions as something that belongs to all of you, to all Kosovans." ^[12]

In June 2008, Ferati oversaw the creation of the municipalities of Junik, Hani i Elezit, and Mamusha (the latter being the only municipality in Kosovo with a Turkish majority). ^[13] He later established the predominantly Serb municipalities of Klokot, Gračanica, Ranilug, and Parteš, and worked toward the creation of a North Mitrovica municipality. ^{[14] [15] [16] [17]} Ferati said that his government's end goal was for Kosovo to have thirty-eight municipalities, of which twenty-seven would be predominantly Albanian, ten predominantly Serb, and one with a Turkish majority. ^[18] In August 2009, he said that the Serb municipalities would have significant autonomy and would effectively provide Serbs with a "state within the state of Kosovo." ^[19]

Ferati urged Serbs to participate in the 2009 Kosovan local elections. ^{[20] [21]} Following the vote, he welcomed the election of Serb mayors who pledged to work within Kosovo's institutions. ^{[22] [23]} In June 2010, he described as encouraging a high Serb turnout in the election to establish the new Parteš municipality. ^[24]

In a 2010 interview, Ferati said that a "one city with two municipalities" model was the only viable solution to the situation in Mitrovica. ^[25]

Although the decentralization plan was supported by some in the Serb community, ^{[26] [27]} it was not endorsed by the Serbian government and did not lead to a breakthrough in Pristina's relations with the predominantly Serb municipalities in Kosovo's north. ^{[28] [29]} The plan was also opposed by the Kosovo Albanian Vetëvendosje party, which argued that it would lead to the "ethnic division" of Kosovo. During this period, Vetëvendosje used the slogan, "Decentralization Means Partition - Partition Means War." ^{[30] [31]}

In addition to his main responsibilities, Ferati was appointed to a ministerial committee overseeing the privatization of Post and Telecommunications of Kosovo in late 2008. ^[32] In 2010, he signed cross-border co-operation treaties with Albania and the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) on behalf of the Kosovo government. ^{[33] [34]}

The LDK withdrew from Kosovo's coalition government in October 2010, bringing Ferati's ministerial tenure to an end.

Parliamentarian (2010–17)

Ferati appeared in the twenty-sixth position on the LDK's coalition electoral list in the 2010 Kosovan parliamentary election. All parliamentary elections in Kosovo since 2007 have been held under open list proportional representation; Ferati finished twentieth among the coalition's candidates and was elected when the list won twenty-seven seats. ^{[35] [36]} The PDK won the election, and the LDK served in opposition in the following term. Ferati served on the assembly committee that oversaw local government issues. ^[37]

He rejected the idea that the status of Kosovo could be settled by partition in May 2011, describing the suggestion as "primitive and dangerous." ^[38] He later expressed skepticism about the government's plan to open an administrative office in the north of Kosovo, saying that existing conditions could not guarantee its success and that a lack of co-operation from Serbs would simply strengthen the Serbian government's parallel institutions. ^[39]

Ferati often spoke on behalf of the LDK in the negotiations that led to the 2013 Brussels Agreement, which normalized some aspects of the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina without addressing the status of Kosovo. After the agreement was signed, Serbs in the north of Kosovo generally began engaging with the Pristina authorities; Ferati spoke favourably of the Community of Serb Municipalities envisioned by the agreement. ^[40] On the local government committee, he helped design amendments to ensure the Serb association would function in conformity with Kosovo's law on local administration and that it would be registered as a non-governmental organization. (The amendments were not voted on due to the dissolution of the assembly and later met with opposition from the Serb List.) ^[41]

In the 2014 Kosovan parliamentary election, Ferati finished twenty-first among the LDK candidates and was re-elected when the party's list won thirty mandates. ^{[42] [43] [44]} After extended negotiations, the PDK formed a new coalition government with the LDK, and Ferati served as a government supporter. In this term, he was deputy chair of the committee overseeing local administration. ^[45]

Ferati's assembly tenure ended in 2017; he finished thirty-sixth among LDK candidates in that year's election and was not elected to a third term when the list fell to twenty-nine seats. ^{[46] [47]}

Since 2017

In a 2021 interview, Ferati said that the LDK had been stagnating for a number of years and called for renewal within the party. ^[48]

Electoral record

Local (Mitrovica)

2007 Kosovan local elections: Mayor of Mitrovica

Candidate		Party	First round		Second round
			Votes	%	Votes	%
	Bajram Rexhepi	Democratic Party of Kosovo	8,599	36.51	8,861	56.04
	Sadri Ferati	Democratic League of Kosovo	5,628	23.90	6,950	43.96
	Nexhmedin Spahiu	New Kosovo Alliance	5,437	23.08
	Mustafë Pllana	Democratic League of Dardania	1,704	7.23
	Nysret Maxhera	ORA	893	3.79
	Bahri Xhaferi	Alliance for the Future of Kosovo	724	3.07
	Shefqet Ibrahimi	Justice Party	317	1.35
	Faruk Mujka	Ecological Party of Kosovo	251	1.07
Total			23,553	100.00	15,811	100.00
Source: [49] [50] [51]

References

1. ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDIN E KOSOVËS 2004 – Fletëvotimi për Zgjedhjet për Kuvend të Kosovës 2004 (Lista e Kandidatëve për Zgjedhjet për Kuvend të Kosovës 2004), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 27 January 2022.
2. Periudha e dytë Legjislative (23.11.2004 - 12.12.2007), Assembly of Kosovo, accessed 2 February 2022.
3. "UN envoy's Kosovo proposal angers Albanian majority," Irish Times, 27 January 2007.
4. ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i parê), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 11, accessed 14 January 2022.
5. ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i dytê), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 10, accessed 14 January 2022.
6. "Kosovo's new government," Agence France Presse, 9 January 2008.
7. "Serb family voices readiness to stay in Kosovo after independence," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 January 2008 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 24 January).
8. "Kosovo returns minister says government to create safe environment for Serbs," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 31 January 2008 (Source: Text of report in English by Pristina-based independent internet news agency KosovaLive).
9. "Kosovo minister says conditions exist for the return of displaced Serbs," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 27 March 2008 (Source: Text of report in English by Pristina-based independent internet news agency KosovaLive).
10. "Kosovo government pledges support for Albanians' return to divided town," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 27 August 2008 (Source: Excerpt from report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 25 August).
11. "Serbian local elections in Kosovo illegal, says UN," Trend News Agency (Azerbaijan), 11 May 2008.
12. "Kosovo envoy warns Serbs against parallel structures after 15 June," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 6 June 2008 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo TV, on 5 June).
13. "Three pilot municipalities to be formed under new Kosovo decentralization law," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European (Source: Text of report in English by Pristina-based independent internet news agency KosovaLive).
14. "Kosovo's EU envoy says Serbs elected on 11 May cannot lead new municipalities," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 9 August 2008 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 7 August).
15. "Decentralization to eliminate Kosovo Serb parallel structures - minister," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 15 April 2009 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Express on 13 April).
16. "Kosovo government to appoint team for setting up north Mitrovica municipality," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 25 January 2010 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo on 22 January).
17. "Kosovo Serb official reiterates opposition to 'strategy for north'," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 16 March 2010 (Source: Text of report in English by Serbian pro-western Belgrade-based Radio B92 website, on 15 March).
18. "Kosovo official urges minorities to cooperate on decentralization process," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 20 February 2009 (Source: Text of report in English by Pristina-based independent internet news agency KosovaLive).
19. "Kosovo minister says new Serb municipalities to be like 'state within the state'," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 14 August 2009 (Source: Excerpt from report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 11 August). The context indicates he was referring to the municipalities individually and not to a proposed Community of Serb Municipalities.
20. "Kosovo minister says late elections to be held in Serb areas in case of boycott," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 9 June 2009 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Express on 7 June).
21. "Kosovo local government minister optimistic about Serbs' local poll turnout," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 5 November 2009 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian newspaper Kosova Sot on 3 November).
22. "Newly-elected Serb municipality mayors pledge to respect Kosovo laws," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 21 December 2009 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Express on 19 December).
23. "Mayor, assembly of Kosovo majority-Serb municipality of Gracanica sworn in," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 31 December 2009 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 29 December).
24. "Kosovo, ICO officials 'encouraged' by high Serb turnout in Partes election," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 25 June 2010 (Source: Excerpt from report by Kosovo Albanian private-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 22 June).
25. "Zgjidhja për Mitrovicën 'qytet me dy komuna'", Telegrafi, 22 August 2010, accessed 2 February 2022.
26. "Kosovo Albanian, Serb leaders say decentralization in interest of all," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 19 December 2008 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 18 December).
27. "Serb parallel structure members apply to join Kosovo's local institutions," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 14 August 2009 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 12 August.
28. "Events in north Kosovo show authority still wielded by UNMIK administration," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 2 September 2009 (Source: Excerpt from report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 28 August).
29. "Kosovo government reportedly seeking 'moderate Serbs' for integration of north," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 25 January 2010 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 22 January).
30. "Kosovo radical movement urges election boycott to prevent decentralization," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European , 3 June 2009 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 2 June).
31. "Kosovo Serbs, Albanians express reservations about decentralization," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 24 July 2009 (Source: Text of report by Serbian newspaper Politika website on 13 July).
32. "Kosovo government decides to privatize post and telecom," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 27 October 2008 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned KohaVision TV on 23 October).
33. "Kosovo, Albania sign EU integration, cross-border cooperation treaties," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 27 April 2010 (Source: Excerpt from report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 24 April).
34. "Macedonia, Kosovo sign cross-border cooperation accord," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 April 2010 (Source: Text of report in English by Macedonian independent news agency Makfax).
35. ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2010 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 30, accessed 2 February 2022.
36. "Kosovo election commission releases final results for parliamentary election," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 1 February 2011 (Source: Text of report of Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Express on 31 January).
37. Periudha e katërt Legjislative (12.12.2010 - 07.05.2014), Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 2 February 2022.
38. "Kosovo Serbs, ethnic Albanians reject partition option," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 26 May 2011 (Source: Text of report by public Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 25 May).
39. "Kosovo opposition against government plan to open administrative office in north," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 27 May 2012 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Express on 25 May).
40. "Kosovo authorities encourage association of Serb municipalities," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 22 May 2013 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 16 May).
41. "Kosovo government's Serb officials announce 'bitter battle' over municipalities," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 22 December 2014 (Source: Text of report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 16 December).
42. ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2014 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 30, accessed 14 January 2022. He appeared in the thirty-eighth position on the list.
43. ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2014 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e kandidatëve të zgjedhur sipas numrit të votave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 4, accessed 14 January 2022.
44. Periudha e pestë Legjislative (17.07.2014 - 10.05.2017) – Sadri Ferati, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 2 February 2022.
45. Periudha e pestë Legjislative (17.07.2014 - 10.05.2017), Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 2 February 2022.
46. ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2017 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e kandidatëve sipas subjekteve të renditur sipas numrit të votave), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 6, accessed 1 February 2022. He appeared in the forty-seventh position.
47. "Këta janë ish-deputetët e LDK-së që mbeten jashtë Kuvendit", Telegrafi, 29 June 2017, accessed 2 February 2022.
48. "Sadri Ferati: LDK prej vitesh nuk po pranohet nga qytetarët", Telegrafi, 9 March 2021, accessed 2 February 2022.
49. ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2007 – Fletëvotimet (Raundi i parë) – Mitrovicë, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 18 January 2022.
50. ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i parê) – Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 11, accessed 14 January 2022.
51. ZGJEDHJET PËR KRYETARË TË KOMUNAVE 2007 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Raundi i dytë) – Rezultatet e kandidatëve për Kryetar Komune, Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, p. 10, accessed 14 January 2022.