MUNICIPAL PROFILE 2018 PRIZREN REGION
SUHAREKË/SUVA REKA MUNICIPAL PROFILE 2018 SUHAREKË/SUVA REKA The OSCE regional centre Prizren covers six (6) municipalities, including Suharekë/Suva Reka, and has teams working in all of them.
AREA AND POPULATION 361 km² area The municipality of Suharekë/Suva Reka is located in south- eastern Kosovo. It covers an area of approximately 361 km² and 42 villages includes Suharekë/Suva Reka town and 42 villages. According to the 2011 Kosovo Population and Housing Census, the total 59,722 population population is 59,722.
Ethnic composition According to the census conducted in 1981, there were 55,640 Kosovo Albanians, 3,568 Kosovo Serbs and 27 Kosovo 1.Kosovo Albanians 59,076 Montenegrins in the municipality; according to the census 2.Kosovo Ashkali 493 conducted in 1991*, there were 61,230 Kosovo Albanians, 3,001 3.Kosovo Roma 41 Kosovo Serbs and 23 Kosovo Montenegrins in the municipality. 4.Kosovo Bosniaks 15 5.Kosovo Egyptians 5 According to the UNHCR statistics, 51 displaced persons have 6.Kosovo Turks 4 returned to the municipality since 1999, of them two (2) Kosovo 7.Kosovo Serbs 2 Roma and 49 Kosovo Ashkali and Kosovo Egyptians. 8.Other 15 9.Not specified 71
(source: Kosovo Agency of Statistics) *The 1991 census is not accepted by Kosovo Albanians as legitimate.
GOVERNING STRUCTURES AND POLITICAL OVERVIEW The total number of voters in Suharekë/Suva Reka municipality registered for the municipal elections held in November 2017 (1st round in October and 2nd round in November) was 66,3901, including out-of-Kosovo voters. The voter turnout in 1st round was 44.31% or 29,415 voters and in 2nd round it was 40.07% or 26,604 voters (source: Central Election Commission). The 2017 municipal assembly election results were as follows: The current seat distribution is as follows:
29.18% LDK – Democratic League of Kosovo 9 seats 27.71% AAK – Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 9 seats 19.18% PDK – Democratic Party of Kosovo 6 seats 9.66% NISMA – Social Democratic Initiative 3 seats 9.22% Vetëvendosje! (Self-Determination) Movement 1* seat 2.88% IQTH – Initiative for Theranda 1 seat Independent member 1* seat PSD - Social Democratic Party 1** 1** seat
1. The overall population figure presented above is taken from the 2011 census (or authoritative estimates where the census figure is not available), whereas the voters list is a reflection of all people with a civil registration entry in the municipality. In some cases, the voters list figure is higher than or similar to the overall population number due to insufficient updating of the civil registry or a significant proportion of people registered in the municipality but actually living elsewhere or abroad.
* Following the elections, two (2) Vetëvendosje! assembly members resigned from their party, one (1) joined Social Democratic Party (PSD) and one (1) remained to hold the seat as an independent member.
** In May 2018, members who previously resigned from Vetëvendosje! joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and assumed its leadership. This occurred after the 2017 municipal elections and for that reason PSD is not reflected in the election results chart, but only in the municipal assembly seat distribution category above. SUHAREKË/SUVA REKA
MUNICIPAL PROFILE 2018 LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC SERVICES Infrastructure The municipal assembly has 31 seats distributed among six (6) political entities, all members are Kosovo Albanian; ten (10) are The overall status of infrastructure in the municipality is women. The Municipal Assembly Chairperson is Bexhet Kuçi assessed as good. All the main roads connecting villages with the (AAK). urban centre are asphalted. Suharekë/Suva Reka town and around 75% of the villages are connected to water supply, while 11 villages are managed by the regional water supply company EXECUTIVE “Hidroregjioni”. As for the sewage system, 31 out of 42 villages have functional systems. Power supply has improved during the last four years (source: municipal development plan and municipal directorate Structure of municipal executive and the executive's political of public services). affiliations. The municipality is headed by Mayor Bali Muharremaj (AAK), elected for his first term as mayor with 52.57% of votes in the Health second round of the 2017 municipal elections. In the previous term, the mayor was Sali Asllanaj (LDK), who was elected in the The primary health care system currently includes one (1) main second round of the 2013 municipal elections with 53.38% of family health centre in town, six (6) family health centres in major the votes. Deputy Mayor is Ms. Mihrije Suka (AAK). villages and seven (7) smaller health facilities in smaller villages. There are ten (10) municipal directors. Three (3) departments are The health sector has 145 employees, 123 of them involved in run by women directors: health and social welfare (AAK); providing health services (32 doctors and 91 nurses-technicians) urbanism and planning (AAK); and inspection (NISMA), seven (7) and 22 administrative staff; 90 women and 55 men. departments are run by men directors: education (AAK); culture, youth, sports and diaspora (AAK); finance, economy and budget All communities have access to health care and all health (AAK); administration (AAK); public services emergency and facilities (source: municipal directorate of health and social welfare). environment (AAK); agriculture forestry and rural development (AAK); and cadastre and property (AAK). In the previous mandate Education (2013-2017), all directors were men (source: municipal web site). There are 29 primary and lower secondary schools with 9,069 pupils and 757 teachers, three (3) secondary high schools with JUDICIARY 3,088 students and 223 teachers and one (1) kindergarten with 61 children and nine (9) teachers (source: municipal directorate of education). Prizren Basic Court has a branch in Suharekë/Suva Reka with eight (8) judges, all Kosovo Albanian; one (1) is a woman. Six (6) of the judges are sitting judges, and two (2) judges are currently RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL SITES undergoing final training (source: Prizren Basic Court).
Prizren Basic Prosecutor's Office covers the municipality. Suharekë/Suva Reka has 22 mosques, 14 were destroyed/damaged in the 1999 conflict, and all of them were reconstructed afterwards. Five (5) new mosques have been built after the conflict. All six (6) Serbian Orthodox churches have been SECURITY PRESENCE destroyed in June 1999, and no reconstruction was done since then. There is one (1) Catholic church in Sallagrazhdë/Selograde The Kosovo Police station in Suharekë/Suva Reka municipality village, which is in use, and one (1) Protestant church in has 67 police officers, all Kosovo Albanian; nine (9) are women. Suharekë/Suva Reka (source: Islamic community representative and The substation in Mushtisht/Mušutište village has ten (10) police municipal development plan). officers, all Kosovo Albanian; one (1) is a woman (source: Kosovo Police). A total of 46 cultural heritage sites (archaeological and architectural) in Suharekë/Suva Reka municipality are included As for the international military presence, Austrian KFOR Liaison in the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport list of sites under Monitoring Team covers the area. temporary protection.
ECONOMY € KEY FACTS The economy of Suharekë/Suva Reka municipality is In Suharekë/Suva Reka there are: predominantly based on rubber, garment and beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, production and small trade • 31 seats in the municipal assembly businesses. There are some 3,700 registered private distributed among 6 political entities businesses, of which approximately 2,316 businesses are active • 77 police officers and operating while the rest are considered inactive. There is no reliable data on the number of people employed in the private • 8 judges sector (source: municipal directorate of economy and finance). • 989 teachers in 29 primary and 3 secondary schools and 1 kindergarten