Kosovo Prepares for a Crucial Local Vote but the Campaign Has Already Started Online

As Kosovo approaches its local elections on October 12, 2025, a parallel race is unfolding, not in the streets or town halls, but in the digital arena. Through Pikasa Analytics’ Election Scanner, we are seeing how mayors and municipal leaders are already shaping narratives, commanding attention, and generating public reaction far ahead of the official campaign season.

The platform tracks thousands of media articles and social media posts, offering real-time insights into who is most visible, what they are saying, and how the public responds. And in this pre-election period, visibility is not just about volume; it is about engagement.

From Prishtina to Mitrovica: The Mayors Driving the Digital Narrative

At the top of the list (in the period 1-20 July 2025) is Përparim Rama, Mayor of Prishtina, who leads not only in media coverage (with 442 articles and 101 social posts), but also in public engagement, drawing over 72,000 interactions. His recent legal victory over the Ministry of Culture about George Bush Square has fueled one of the most viral articles to date, amplifying themes of investment, constitutional battles, and urban development.

Close behind is Bali Muharremaj, Mayor of Suhareka whose online posts resonate strongly despite fewer appearances. With more than 32,000 engagements, Muharremaj taps into cultural pride and local identity, showing that emotional tone can often outperform.

Other high performers include Shaqir Totaj in Prizren and Imri Ahmeti in Lipjan, both surpassing 26,000 engagements each. Totaj’s messaging revolves around diaspora ties and infrastructure renewal, while Ahmeti’s emotional candidacy announcement has helped sustain public attention. Meanwhile, Bedri Hamza, the Mayor of Mitrovica, garners steady reactions—often when discussing issues like the Special Court, diaspora politics, and the status of North Kosovo.

Photo 1: Top 5 current mayors ranked by engagements (likes + shares + comments) in the period 1–20 July 2025

Investments, North Kosovo, and Diaspora Dominate While the Serbia Dialogue Fades from Local Discourse

The digital conversation isn’t just about names, it’s about narratives. According to Pikasa’s topic analysis, investments remain the most discussed theme across articles and posts, followed by diaspora relations, constitutional issues, and governance in North Kosovo. Surprisingly, one issue that has long dominated Kosovo’s political landscape, the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, is largely absent from the public messaging of top mayors. This signals a growing focus on municipal-level performance, service delivery, and symbolic local politics rather than international negotiations.

The topic breakdown shows that figures like Përparim Rama emphasize constitutional and developmental issues, while Bedri Hamza and Erden Atiq are closely linked to discussions around North Kosovo, the diaspora, and security. Yet, the Serbia dialogue has not emerged as a core talking point, perhaps a sign that voters and leaders alike are more concerned with tangible, day-to-day governance ahead of the vote.

Photo 2: Top mayors mentioned in different topics in the period 1–20 July 2025

Who Sets the Agenda? Top News Outlets and Mayors Social Pages Amplifying the Debate

Media visibility continues to be driven by a handful of influential outlets. Gazeta Express, Gazeta Blic, Lajmi.net, and Indeks Online top the list of most active platforms covering mayoral news. These outlets have published the most shared and discussed articles in the pre-election period, including major legal decisions, candidacy announcements, and infrastructure achievements.

On social media, Facebook is still the dominant platform, where official mayoral pages and public figures fuel daily political engagement. Përparim Rama, again, leads by number of posts and cumulative engagement, followed by Shaqir Totaj, Bali Muharremaj, Agim Aliu, and Imri Ahmeti. These figures have turned digital presence into political capital, shaping feelings well before ballots are cast.

More Than Just Numbers: What Engagement Tells Us About Public Sentiment and Political Reach

Engagement is not merely a metric, it’s a signal of public connection. High volumes of likes, comments, and shares show not only visibility, but emotional resonance and political relevance. While volume of content is important, it’s the response that reveals depth of influence.

Pikasa Election Scanner doesn't just count it measures impact, tone, and even hate speech levels, offering a more nuanced understanding of how mayors are perceived.

Monitoring the Momentum: How Pikasa Election Scanner Will Track the Race to October 12

As campaigns heat up, digital dynamics may shift, new candidates will appear, narratives will evolve, and voter attention will fluctuate. Through monitoring both digital media and social platforms, Pikasa Election Scanner will continue to provide correct, data-driven insights into how Kosovo’s municipal elections are unfolding.

This is not just a tool for analysts and journalists. It is a resource for civil society, electoral observers, and informed citizens. In an age where online conversation can shape offline outcomes, tracking engagement is tracking influence.

Methodology

Data collection encompassed daily monitoring of over 4,000 news articles daily from more than 125 Albanian media outlets, complemented by extensive tracking of digital content from thousands of channels across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Content classification uses advanced machine-learning algorithms and automated content analysis, systematically finding, categorizing, and tagging media content. Analyzed period is 1-20 July 2025.