"Numerous irregularities in voter lists"

BELGRADE Krstimir Pantic says the irregularities in the list of voters for the local elections in Kosovska Mitrovica could directly affect the outcome unless removed. Pantic, who is the Serbian Civil Initiative's candidate for mayor of Kosovska Mitrovica and deputy director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo, told Tanjug that 6,000 ethnic Albanians who had never lived in northern Kosovska Mitrovica were on the list of voters in the northern part of the city. "Numerous irregularities in voter lists" "This way the Albanians are trying to change the ethnic structure of the population, to directly affect the result of the vote and to put Albanian political parties and those close to them in power in a dishonest fashion," Pantic stated. "We expect the Serbian government, that is the working group formed in the talks with OSCE officials to prove that those Albanians have never lived in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, have no right to vote there and that the irregularity will be removed as soon as possible," he said. By voting in the elections on November 3, the Kosovo Serbs will strengthen the Serb institutions, which will gain recognition from the international community, he believes. It has become obvious that the authorities in Pristina do not want a large number of Serbs to vote in the elections, because it is evident they will then win the power in around 10 municipalities in Kosovo, which is almost a third of the territory, Pantic pointed out. Neither Hashim Thaci nor anyone else in Pristina wants that and they will do everything to discourage Serbs from voting in the local elections and to reduce the number of Serbs with the right to vote, he stressed. After the local elections the international community will have to think about how the local government in northern Kosovo will function and find a compromise somewhere between the law of the Republic of Serbia and the Kosovo law. (Beta, file) Tanjug

"Numerous irregularities in voter lists"

"This way the Albanians are trying to change the ethnic structure of the population, to directly affect the result of the vote and to put Albanian political parties and those close to them in power in a dishonest fashion," Pantić stated.

"We expect the Serbian government, that is the working group formed in the talks with OSCE officials to prove that those Albanians have never lived in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, have no right to vote there and that the irregularity will be removed as soon as possible," he said.

By voting in the elections on November 3, the Kosovo Serbs will strengthen the Serb institutions, which will gain recognition from the international community, he believes.

It has become obvious that the authorities in Priština do not want a large number of Serbs to vote in the elections, because it is evident they will then win the power in around 10 municipalities in Kosovo, which is almost a third of the territory, Pantić pointed out.

Neither Hashim Thaci nor anyone else in Priština wants that and they will do everything to discourage Serbs from voting in the local elections and to reduce the number of Serbs with the right to vote, he stressed.

After the local elections the international community will have to think about how the local government in northern Kosovo will function and find a compromise somewhere between the law of the Republic of Serbia and the Kosovo law.