Local Elections: Time for visions, not just promises
Writes: Albert Kurtulaj
We are entering the final week of the election campaign for the local elections on October 12, which will elect mayors and municipal assembly members. This is a crucial period, because these elections determine the development direction of our cities and municipalities for the next four years.
However, from what is seen during this campaign, a clear deficiency is emerging, the lack of strategic vision of some mayoral candidates. Most of them, instead of offering a clear long-term plan for the urban, economic, social and cultural development of the municipalities, have focused mainly on small promises, made to adapt to the daily demands of citizens. These promises, although attractive in the moment, fail to create a sustainable vision for the future, but remain only as populist gestures that aim to please each individual separately, without thinking about the collective and long-term good.
Personally, I believe that the role of a mayor should not be reduced to a list of small promises, but should be linked to a larger mission, to build a comprehensive, sustainable and modern development strategy for the city and municipality he leads. This implies a more open, visionary and bold approach, which goes beyond daily demands and focuses on the long-term transformation of our municipalities.
In this regard, education should be the number one priority in every municipality in Kosovo. No other investment has a greater and more sustainable impact than building a quality, innovative and responsive education system. Unfortunately, this area often remains out of the spotlight, because changes in education do not produce immediate results and, consequently, are not considered populist. But in reality, only through a radical transformation of education can we build developed cities, competitive economies and a fairer and more equal society.
Likewise, a country with a youth majority like Kosovo cannot think about the future without placing youth at the center of municipal policies. Young people are the energy, creativity and guarantee of any future development. For them, municipalities must create new spaces for employment, quality education, culture, sports and innovation. Without a clear strategy for youth, we risk losing the most valuable generations to emigration, leaving a huge gap in the development of our municipalities.
Therefore, the election of mayors should not be based only on small, everyday promises, but on their ability to provide vision, strategic planning, and the courage to make difficult decisions for the betterment of the future. Only by prioritizing education and youth can we build stronger, more developed, and fairer municipalities for all. This is what is missing from the campaign today, and this is what citizens should be demanding.
