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

As Kosovo prepares for its 2025 local elections, a parallel race is unfolding online. Mayoral candidates and incumbents are actively shaping narratives across media and social platforms—months before official campaigning begins. Through Pikasa Analytics’ Election Scanner, we analyze digital campaign trends, public engagement, and political momentum in real time, offering data-driven insights into who’s leading and why it matters.

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 (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. Meanwhile, Bedri Hamza, Mayor of Mitrovica, garners steady reactions when discussing the Special Court, diaspora politics, and North Kosovo.

Investments, North Kosovo, and Diaspora: What Are Mayors Talking About—and Why It Matters

The digital conversation is not just about names—it’s about narratives. According to Pikasa’s topic analysis, investments remain the most discussed theme, followed by diaspora relations, constitutional issues, and governance in North Kosovo. These themes cluster around specific leaders.

For example, Rama is associated with investment and constitutional reform, while Hamza dominates content related to North Kosovo, diaspora, and the Special Court. Erden Atiq (Mitrovica North) is tied to local governance and KFOR activity. Others like Alban Hyseni, Ramiz Lladrovci, and Sokol Haliti appear in discussions about EU integration and judicial accountability.

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

Media visibility is driven by a handful of influential outlets. Gazeta Express, Gazeta Blic, Lajmi.net, and Indeks Online are the most active platforms covering mayoral news, publishing the most shared and discussed articles about legal decisions, candidacy announcements, and infrastructure milestones.

On social media, Facebook remains dominant. The official pages of mayors like Rama, Totaj, Muharremaj, Agim Aliu, and Ahmeti generate daily political engagement and help shape pre-election sentiment long before ballots are cast.

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

Engagement isn’t just a metric—it’s a signal. High volumes of likes, comments, and shares show not only visibility, but also emotional resonance and perceived relevance. While content volume matters, the quality of response reveals true influence.

Pikasa Election Scanner doesn’t just count engagement—it measures tone, topics, and even hate speech, helping stakeholders understand how mayors are perceived and discussed online.

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

As campaigns intensify, digital dynamics will shift. New candidates will emerge, narratives will evolve, and public attention will fluctuate. Pikasa will continue to monitor both media and social platforms, delivering up-to-date insights on Kosovo’s local elections.

This platform is a resource not just for journalists and analysts, but for civil society, observers, and engaged citizens. In a landscape where online conversation drives offline impact, tracking engagement means tracking influence.

Methodology

Data was collected from over 4,000 news articles daily across 125+ Albanian-language outlets, and from thousands of social channels on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Pikasa’s machine-learning models categorized and tagged content, tracking political sentiment and topic clusters. The analyzed period spans 1–20 July 2025.

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