Thaci declares victory in Kosovo elections

"It is now obvious the remaining 50 per cent are illegal immigrants from Albania."

Their birth certificates and all the necessary paperwork that proves their "Yugoslav" citizenship is located in Nish. Feel free to verify it anytime.

It is ridiculous that B92 staff approves such ridiculous and provoking comments. Comments such as this one degrade the reputation of a balanced information source that B92 enjoys.

Only 45 per cent voted huh?
It is now obvious the remaining 50 per cent are illegal immigrants from Albania.
And now there is an indicted war criminal pretending he is prime minister of a fictitious place.

Tarras!
0% of serbs voted,should we presume that all serbs are just emigrants in Kosova?

TARAS, when elections were in Serbia, less than 50% people voted also, so therefore acording to you, more than 50% of serbs in Serbia are illegals... perhaps came from Russia.

I would love to see how Thaci will run the government from behind bars in the Hague.

Imigrants from Albania?!?!?!?!
Since when are people in their own country called imigrants????

Thanks to the serb politicans, Thaqi won again, second time in eight years, first the war and now the elections. It looks like he is going to be the first president or prime-minister of independent Kosovo.
I wonder what would be the results if Ahtisaari's plan was accepted.
Taras, would you please stop saying things you can not controll? According to you there are only 5 (not 5%)serbs legal in Kosovo.

For those who believe that Albanians won war or something!!!

Albanians have not won the war if we want to speak honestly. You wouldn't win anything if there was no great support from the USA.

Second thing is that there are no Serbs in Kosovo becuse you were salughtering them in decades prior to war and after the war in open show of the NATO soldiers. The Serbs that stayed in Kosovo just boycot the democratic rights they are offered because they do not want Albanaians deciding over their lives because they simply do not trust them. And why is that? It is just becuse they expirienced hard life in Kosovo and every kind of abuse once when the Albanians had all the power in Kosovo. While you Albanians were running Kosovo during 70-80's many Serbs left the province due to constant exposure to brutality by Albanians

However, Europe and USA once more have showed real face by backing war criminals in policy running over Kosovo. I don't personally mind since this fact reflects only Albanians themselves.

I congratulate you a prime minister

Only a 40% turn out at the poles is a clear indicator that the average Albanian is more concerned with financial development of Kosovo and jobs, as well as peace and not Independence. If given a choice of economic development and jobs for all or independence, 9 out of 10 Kosovo residents would prefer jobs and economic development over independence. It is my feeling that 10% or less of the Albanians are the problem, which is 200,000 people at best, these people can be handled if NATO truly wanted to. The alternative is illegal unilateral independence that would cause massive unrest in the regions and other hot spots around the world. Here is a question, which is worse, 200,000 upset Albanians or 10 Million upset Serbians? We must choose the lesser evil in the interest of peace.

koqekanari,
It could be!

People should just accept that people of Kosovo are trying very hard to establish their lives, and they want to decide for their own fate.
Unlike, Milosevic who manipulated the elections in Serbia, Hasim Thaci won the Elections Fairly under the observations of OSCE
Congratulations to Hashim,PDK and people of Kosovo.

What a complete waste of time!
and this Thaci is a joker....he doesn't know how to speak but I guess he could learn from a master such as W.B.... hope you enjoyed the Vote albanians!

@ftm:

WAR? Won again? Hey stop playing videogames they can be dangerous.

Now you all got me thinking...

The real winner of these elections is Albin Kurti.

He urged the boycott among the Albanians since according to him these elections are only farce and UNMIK is the real executive branch in Kosova.

Since 55% did not vote, he is the real winner.

Congratulations Albin!

I'm sure there are a considerable number of immigrants from Albania now living in Kosovo. Serbia should never have given asylum or citizenship to WWII immigrants from Albania. To be fair there wasn't a great deal Serbia could do to stop Tito confiscating land from Serbs and allowing Albanians from Albania into Kosovo. This act by Tito was done deliberately to minimise the influence of Serbia in Jugoslavia so that the balance of power between the republics was one that he could control.
However, Serbia should not continue to give citizenship to any individual that is not a loyal member of that state. Certainly in the case of many Kosovo Albanians there is reason to doubt their loyalty to Serbia many supported acts of treason (NATO bombing). Citizenship should not be a birth right. I would argue that all those Albanians who cannot speak Serbian or cannot prove their direct descendants prior to 1939 being born in Kosovo/Serbia have no automatic right to abode in Kosovo they are infact asylum seekers.
Serbia should also ensure that it treats all citizens equally regardless of ethnicity. Any form of racism from any ethnic group should be investigated and outlawed. Perhaps the best way to deal with racism is through education.
Europe cannot afford anarchy, by changing a soveriegn states borders to appease one ethnic group. The Albanians have become a majority in Kosovo in the last 60 years, is Europe seriously supporting a change in borders to represent the majority ethnic group within a region.

Election apathy has mainly hit LDK. Would be interesting to see how a functioning grand coalition will shape. In the absence of an ideological debate, this election has been fought mainly on personalities. No real surprise then that Thaci won.
The surprise has really been AKR with a considerable 12% of the vote. Pacolli might fill the missing link of an independent Kosova and economic development.
One thing is a safe bet though, Thaci will move swiftly on a declaration of independence. Although not my personal choice that would mean that, he will not need to buy a drink in his life again.

nono,they left kosova because they dreamed of modern life, they dreamed of money ,they did not want to live a hard life as we do in kosova!they made quite a lot of money when selling their houses in kosovo,don't you remind them coming and buying 2 ,or 3 appatements in belgrade?
Show me one guy of these years who was as refugees are now?

@ Serbian Canadian who illogically said: " Here is a question, which is worse, 200,000 upset Albanians or 10 Million upset Serbians? We must choose the lesser evil in the interest of peace."

- Your logic is so upseting that even though I never answer to this kind of attitude, I must give you a simple answer: How about 7 million of "very upset" Albanians in Balkans and another 2 million of them very unhappy around the world, with 200,000 only in Canada?

Good luck!

Joe says...Secondly they are just about 7 millions Serbs in Serbia. So who cares if 7 millions are upset?

Just another anti-Serb comment for a an ordinary Joe.
Unlike you, Joe, I was born and raised in the US and was taught that constructive and respectful dialogue produces positive results.
Maybe if you live long enough in the states you will learn to do the same.

it is funny to read comments here ... absolutely worthless.

here are stats from the Serbian elections .. 38% voter turnout.

Listen: people are tired of their politicians in Kosova, Serbia and even Albania. No one cares where they live - most are trying to leave all three and go to the West anyway - but our politicians ability to create jobs and a better life is masked by their nationalistic propaganda. Serbia has aboslutely no need for Kosova as 90% of Serbs have never been there and have no reason to go there. What Serbs need are jobs and a better life.

Here is a link showing a 38% turnout in Serbia,

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20031117/ai_n11431754

@ marko:

What you say doesn't make much sense: So because you never use a room in your house or don't use a piece of your garden your neighbour can claim it as he its own??

Even if there were 99% of Serbians who never saw Kosovo doesn't mean that we have to give away a piece of our territory to some albanian.

pera,

The K-Albanians, who feel liberated by NATO since 1999 want as much to do with Serbian citizenship as I - as a US citizen - want to do with Chinease or Indian citizenship (this with due respect to those 2 big upcoming countries).
And about anarchy in Europe once Kosovo becomes independent? Be real! Perhaps anarchy in your politicans heart, who for years did not want to face reality. Otherwise the media all over Europe will announce the birth of a new country as a long overdue event and that will be it.

Canadian,

Following those terrible things done by Serbs in 1999 they forfeited all right to Kosovo 8 years ago. Secondly they are just about 7 millions Serbs in Serbia. So who cares if 7 millions are upset?

Only 45 per cent voted huh?
It is now obvious the remaining 50 per cent are illegal immigrants from Albania.
And now there is an indicted war criminal pretending he is prime minister of a fictitious place.
(Taras, 18. November 2007 12:36)

Anyone still wonders why we want independence after reading the post above?

Regarding the poster that claimed that Albanians were a majority because they slaughtered the Serbs before the war; I have to say your view run contrary to most of the Serbs I have spoken with who claim the Serbs were a majority before the war.

Here is an in-deppth analysis of kosovos albanians, kosovos economy and their politicians. Written of course by a third party.
Click below link:
http://www.balkanalysis.com/2007/11/18/kosovo-auf-deutsch/

RE: (MR Pera,s comment, saying that Albanians are emmigrants)
Mr.Pera i presume you are a Serb, but i have to tell you that you have been given wrong history lessons my dear friend.
You serbs are trying desperatly to influence the world that Albanians are, emmigrants,savages,terrorists and even calling them (ugly people).
You and other serbs know that Albanians have lived there for Milleniums and they are descendants of Illyrians who have lived there prior to the Roman times, Unlike Serbs who came from Siberia.

You serbs are trying desperatly to influence the world that Albanians are, emmigrants,savages,terrorists and even calling them (ugly people).
You and other serbs know that Albanians have lived there for Milleniums and they are descendants of Illyrians who have lived there prior to the Roman times, Unlike Serbs who came from Siberia.
(jack,

Presuming that all what you said is true´I ask you now what did you do in meanwhile. Seem that you did not live in Kosovo anyway. There is no any cultural or religious monuments left by modern Illyrians. Don't you think that they would not built anything that proves thier existance. I think that cultural and religious remains tell us everything about the teritory and its people. If you were Illyrians it is possible that once you lived in Kosovo (monuments are there) but you alsl left Ksoovo since monuments from newer or post Illyrian, Roman...etc times do not exist over there that could contribute to this claims. So, you did not live there. The major cultural monuments are dating from midevial period and are left by Turks and Serbs. However, you did leave something as a part of your culture (just don't know which one it is, Albanian or Illyrian), in Djakovica you destroyed Orthodox church and turned into public pisoar, in Prizren you built the mosque by the stones taken from the remains of the Czar Dusan's city.

"There is no any cultural or religious monuments left by modern Illyrians. Don't you think that they would not built anything that proves thier existance."

On the contrary there are evidences of Illyrian life in Kosova, some of which were stolen by the Serbian military from the museum of Prishtina, which if you were interested before the war you could just go there and see yourself.
Anyways I doubt anything I say will ever convince you or any Serb. Our relations are beyond repairable.

Only 45 per cent voted huh?
It is now obvious the remaining 50 per cent are illegal immigrants from Albania.
And now there is an indicted war criminal pretending he is prime minister of a fictitious place.

"It is now obvious the remaining 50 per cent are illegal immigrants from Albania."

Their birth certificates and all the necessary paperwork that proves their "Yugoslav" citizenship is located in Nish. Feel free to verify it anytime.

It is ridiculous that B92 staff approves such ridiculous and provoking comments. Comments such as this one degrade the reputation of a balanced information source that B92 enjoys.

Tarras!
0% of serbs voted,should we presume that all serbs are just emigrants in Kosova?

People should just accept that people of Kosovo are trying very hard to establish their lives, and they want to decide for their own fate.
Unlike, Milosevic who manipulated the elections in Serbia, Hasim Thaci won the Elections Fairly under the observations of OSCE
Congratulations to Hashim,PDK and people of Kosovo.

TARAS, when elections were in Serbia, less than 50% people voted also, so therefore acording to you, more than 50% of serbs in Serbia are illegals... perhaps came from Russia.

Imigrants from Albania?!?!?!?!
Since when are people in their own country called imigrants????

Thanks to the serb politicans, Thaqi won again, second time in eight years, first the war and now the elections. It looks like he is going to be the first president or prime-minister of independent Kosovo.
I wonder what would be the results if Ahtisaari's plan was accepted.
Taras, would you please stop saying things you can not controll? According to you there are only 5 (not 5%)serbs legal in Kosovo.

I would love to see how Thaci will run the government from behind bars in the Hague.

Canadian,

Following those terrible things done by Serbs in 1999 they forfeited all right to Kosovo 8 years ago. Secondly they are just about 7 millions Serbs in Serbia. So who cares if 7 millions are upset?

What a complete waste of time!
and this Thaci is a joker....he doesn't know how to speak but I guess he could learn from a master such as W.B.... hope you enjoyed the Vote albanians!

koqekanari,
It could be!

Only a 40% turn out at the poles is a clear indicator that the average Albanian is more concerned with financial development of Kosovo and jobs, as well as peace and not Independence. If given a choice of economic development and jobs for all or independence, 9 out of 10 Kosovo residents would prefer jobs and economic development over independence. It is my feeling that 10% or less of the Albanians are the problem, which is 200,000 people at best, these people can be handled if NATO truly wanted to. The alternative is illegal unilateral independence that would cause massive unrest in the regions and other hot spots around the world. Here is a question, which is worse, 200,000 upset Albanians or 10 Million upset Serbians? We must choose the lesser evil in the interest of peace.

Election apathy has mainly hit LDK. Would be interesting to see how a functioning grand coalition will shape. In the absence of an ideological debate, this election has been fought mainly on personalities. No real surprise then that Thaci won.
The surprise has really been AKR with a considerable 12% of the vote. Pacolli might fill the missing link of an independent Kosova and economic development.
One thing is a safe bet though, Thaci will move swiftly on a declaration of independence. Although not my personal choice that would mean that, he will not need to buy a drink in his life again.

For those who believe that Albanians won war or something!!!

Albanians have not won the war if we want to speak honestly. You wouldn't win anything if there was no great support from the USA.

Second thing is that there are no Serbs in Kosovo becuse you were salughtering them in decades prior to war and after the war in open show of the NATO soldiers. The Serbs that stayed in Kosovo just boycot the democratic rights they are offered because they do not want Albanaians deciding over their lives because they simply do not trust them. And why is that? It is just becuse they expirienced hard life in Kosovo and every kind of abuse once when the Albanians had all the power in Kosovo. While you Albanians were running Kosovo during 70-80's many Serbs left the province due to constant exposure to brutality by Albanians

However, Europe and USA once more have showed real face by backing war criminals in policy running over Kosovo. I don't personally mind since this fact reflects only Albanians themselves.

I congratulate you a prime minister

it is funny to read comments here ... absolutely worthless.

here are stats from the Serbian elections .. 38% voter turnout.

Listen: people are tired of their politicians in Kosova, Serbia and even Albania. No one cares where they live - most are trying to leave all three and go to the West anyway - but our politicians ability to create jobs and a better life is masked by their nationalistic propaganda. Serbia has aboslutely no need for Kosova as 90% of Serbs have never been there and have no reason to go there. What Serbs need are jobs and a better life.

Here is a link showing a 38% turnout in Serbia,

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20031117/ai_n11431754

@ Serbian Canadian who illogically said: " Here is a question, which is worse, 200,000 upset Albanians or 10 Million upset Serbians? We must choose the lesser evil in the interest of peace."

- Your logic is so upseting that even though I never answer to this kind of attitude, I must give you a simple answer: How about 7 million of "very upset" Albanians in Balkans and another 2 million of them very unhappy around the world, with 200,000 only in Canada?

Good luck!

pera,

The K-Albanians, who feel liberated by NATO since 1999 want as much to do with Serbian citizenship as I - as a US citizen - want to do with Chinease or Indian citizenship (this with due respect to those 2 big upcoming countries).
And about anarchy in Europe once Kosovo becomes independent? Be real! Perhaps anarchy in your politicans heart, who for years did not want to face reality. Otherwise the media all over Europe will announce the birth of a new country as a long overdue event and that will be it.

@ftm:

WAR? Won again? Hey stop playing videogames they can be dangerous.

nono,they left kosova because they dreamed of modern life, they dreamed of money ,they did not want to live a hard life as we do in kosova!they made quite a lot of money when selling their houses in kosovo,don't you remind them coming and buying 2 ,or 3 appatements in belgrade?
Show me one guy of these years who was as refugees are now?

@ marko:

What you say doesn't make much sense: So because you never use a room in your house or don't use a piece of your garden your neighbour can claim it as he its own??

Even if there were 99% of Serbians who never saw Kosovo doesn't mean that we have to give away a piece of our territory to some albanian.

Only 45 per cent voted huh?
It is now obvious the remaining 50 per cent are illegal immigrants from Albania.
And now there is an indicted war criminal pretending he is prime minister of a fictitious place.
(Taras, 18. November 2007 12:36)

Anyone still wonders why we want independence after reading the post above?

Regarding the poster that claimed that Albanians were a majority because they slaughtered the Serbs before the war; I have to say your view run contrary to most of the Serbs I have spoken with who claim the Serbs were a majority before the war.

I'm sure there are a considerable number of immigrants from Albania now living in Kosovo. Serbia should never have given asylum or citizenship to WWII immigrants from Albania. To be fair there wasn't a great deal Serbia could do to stop Tito confiscating land from Serbs and allowing Albanians from Albania into Kosovo. This act by Tito was done deliberately to minimise the influence of Serbia in Jugoslavia so that the balance of power between the republics was one that he could control.
However, Serbia should not continue to give citizenship to any individual that is not a loyal member of that state. Certainly in the case of many Kosovo Albanians there is reason to doubt their loyalty to Serbia many supported acts of treason (NATO bombing). Citizenship should not be a birth right. I would argue that all those Albanians who cannot speak Serbian or cannot prove their direct descendants prior to 1939 being born in Kosovo/Serbia have no automatic right to abode in Kosovo they are infact asylum seekers.
Serbia should also ensure that it treats all citizens equally regardless of ethnicity. Any form of racism from any ethnic group should be investigated and outlawed. Perhaps the best way to deal with racism is through education.
Europe cannot afford anarchy, by changing a soveriegn states borders to appease one ethnic group. The Albanians have become a majority in Kosovo in the last 60 years, is Europe seriously supporting a change in borders to represent the majority ethnic group within a region.

Here is an in-deppth analysis of kosovos albanians, kosovos economy and their politicians. Written of course by a third party.
Click below link:
http://www.balkanalysis.com/2007/11/18/kosovo-auf-deutsch/

Joe says...Secondly they are just about 7 millions Serbs in Serbia. So who cares if 7 millions are upset?

Just another anti-Serb comment for a an ordinary Joe.
Unlike you, Joe, I was born and raised in the US and was taught that constructive and respectful dialogue produces positive results.
Maybe if you live long enough in the states you will learn to do the same.

RE: (MR Pera,s comment, saying that Albanians are emmigrants)
Mr.Pera i presume you are a Serb, but i have to tell you that you have been given wrong history lessons my dear friend.
You serbs are trying desperatly to influence the world that Albanians are, emmigrants,savages,terrorists and even calling them (ugly people).
You and other serbs know that Albanians have lived there for Milleniums and they are descendants of Illyrians who have lived there prior to the Roman times, Unlike Serbs who came from Siberia.

You serbs are trying desperatly to influence the world that Albanians are, emmigrants,savages,terrorists and even calling them (ugly people).
You and other serbs know that Albanians have lived there for Milleniums and they are descendants of Illyrians who have lived there prior to the Roman times, Unlike Serbs who came from Siberia.
(jack,

Presuming that all what you said is true´I ask you now what did you do in meanwhile. Seem that you did not live in Kosovo anyway. There is no any cultural or religious monuments left by modern Illyrians. Don't you think that they would not built anything that proves thier existance. I think that cultural and religious remains tell us everything about the teritory and its people. If you were Illyrians it is possible that once you lived in Kosovo (monuments are there) but you alsl left Ksoovo since monuments from newer or post Illyrian, Roman...etc times do not exist over there that could contribute to this claims. So, you did not live there. The major cultural monuments are dating from midevial period and are left by Turks and Serbs. However, you did leave something as a part of your culture (just don't know which one it is, Albanian or Illyrian), in Djakovica you destroyed Orthodox church and turned into public pisoar, in Prizren you built the mosque by the stones taken from the remains of the Czar Dusan's city.

"There is no any cultural or religious monuments left by modern Illyrians. Don't you think that they would not built anything that proves thier existance."

On the contrary there are evidences of Illyrian life in Kosova, some of which were stolen by the Serbian military from the museum of Prishtina, which if you were interested before the war you could just go there and see yourself.
Anyways I doubt anything I say will ever convince you or any Serb. Our relations are beyond repairable.

Now you all got me thinking...

The real winner of these elections is Albin Kurti.

He urged the boycott among the Albanians since according to him these elections are only farce and UNMIK is the real executive branch in Kosova.

Since 55% did not vote, he is the real winner.

Congratulations Albin!