All numbers presented here are based on estimates by the Municipal Government

General Information

Rahovec/Orahovac is a municipality located in the south west part of Kosovo and is well known in Kosovo for its wine production. Albanians make up the vast majority of the population, but there are also small Serb, Roma and Ashkali communities. The Albanian population in the municipality speaks a dialect of Albanian particular to Rahovec/Orahovac, mixture of Slavic, Turkish and Albanian, but consider themselves part of the Albanian community. There is some interaction between communities in the economic sphere, but in most other aspects of life the minority communities, particularly the Serbs, live separately from the majority community. According to the Local Community Office the most important issue facing the Serb community in Rahovec/Orahovac is a lack of freedom of movement. All communities face problems with high unemployment rates, the poor status of the economy and the infrastructure.

Important Contact Details

Municipal Website:  http://kk.rks-gov.net/rahovec/
Telephone: 029-27 60 37

Demographics

After the 1999 conflict many members of the Serb community moved away from the municipality, which decreased the Serb population from 4.000 members in 1999 to approximately 1.300 today. Today most Serb community members live either in the northern part of the town of Rahovec/Orahovac or in the mono-ethnic village of Velika Hoca/Hoçë e Madhe. Most members of the RAE communities also live in the northern part of the Rahovec/Orahovac town or in villages surrounding the town.
Accurate population statistics are not available for Kosovo. The numbers presented here are approximate estimates by the Local Community Office, cross checked with OSCE Municipal Profiles and Civil Society. For more information on Statistics in Kosovo click here

* The 1991 census results are considered unreliable due to a boycott by the Albanian population

Political Representation

The mayor of Rahovec/Orahovac is Mr. Smajl Latifi, representing the Aleanca per Ardhmerine e Kosoves  (AAK) he was elected with 55.76% in the extraordinary elections in November 2010 after the former Mayor mr .Qazim Qeska (PDK )resigned from his post. The PDK, the AAK and the AKR make up the ruling coalition. No communities are represented in the Municipal Assembly. Communities are represented in the political structures of Rahovec/Orahovac through a Committee on Communities, a Deputy Mayor and the Local Community Office. According to the OSCE there are 11 Serbs and one Roma working as civil servants for the Municipal Government. At the same time there is a parallel municipal structure, governed by its own mayor and municipal assembly elected by the 11 May 2008 elections, declare illegal by the UN.

Safety and Freedom of Movement

The Kosovo Police, EULEX police and  KFOR  guarantee security in the municipality. There is one  Serb and one Roma working for the Kosovo Police in Rahovec/Orahovac and one Serb working for the Kosovo Police in the village of Velika Hoca/Hoçë e Madhe. In general community members are satisfied with the performance of the Kosovo Police, particularly since March 2004. No inter-ethnic incidents have been reported over the last year and people can move freely in the municipality.

Education

The Rahovec/Orahovac municipality currently facilitates education only in Albanian, where the Albanian and Egyptian children go. Kosovo Serbs have access to two primary schools and one gymnasium from the parallel educational institutions under Serbian curricula. For tertiary education they visit schools in Serbia and Mitrovicë/Mitrovica
There is a concern of considered number of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian community members dropping out of school or not being registered at all.

*these numbers only refer to the official educational institutions

*these numbers only refer to the official educational institutions

Returns

Very few community members are returning to Rahovec/Orahovac. Although no incidents with returnees have been registered, the return process is being hampered by cases of occupied property, the security situation, the poor economic situation and the high unemployment rate. The municipality, in according to the Municipal Strategy for Return, is organizing different activities, like "Go-See"s and "Go-Visit"s, an inter-ethnic dialogue and other activities.

Economy

Most community members are employed in the agricultural sector, in the official institutions or in private businesses. However rate of unemployment is still high, in accordance with the general economic situation in Kosovo.

*these numbers only refer to the official institutions

Access to Health Care and Other Public Services (Police/Administration/Public Companies/etc.)

Health Care
The local health sector includes one health house in Rahovec/Orahovac town, two clinics and seven family health centres (also known as ambulanta), which provide basic medical treatment. The nearest well-equipped hospitals are located in Gjakovë/Ðakovica and Prizren. There are two ambulantas providing basic medical services in the Kosovo Serb inhabited part of the municipality. Both ambulantas are financed by the Kosovo and Serbian authorities at the same time. In addition, the Kosovo Serb community is increasingly using the available health facilities in the town. The director of the centre for social welfare is concerned about the high number of mentally handicapped people in Rahovec/Orahovac and the lack of a proper institution to take care of them.
For more complicated procedures community members visit the hospitals in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica and Gracanica/Graçanicë.

Other Public Institutions
Official documents are published in both Albanian and Serbian. Community members experience no problems in communicating with or accessing public institutions. Community members also make use of parallel public institutions in the village of Velika Hoca/Hoçë e Madhe.