Elections in Kosovo without major incidents

Polling stations have closed in northern Kosovo and other Serb-inhabited areas of the province. Only minor incidents have been reported so far. Elections in Kosovo without major incidents Voting in Kosovo took place at 279 polling stations, as well as at a further 16 where displaced persons living in Kosovo could vote. Registered voters were allowed to vote for municipal councilors wherever they lived, RIK in Kosovo has confirmed. The Electoral Commission’s (RIK) has accredited 10 organizations to monitor proceedings in Kosovo. The security situation in the province was mostly peaceful and completely under control, reported members of the Kosovo Police Service and KFOR. International police and KFOR troops were patrolling and monitoring polling stations in their usual numbers. Campaign posters in Kosovo (Beta) Incident in Banje Voting at one polling station in Kosovo was temporarily suspended following an altercation between members of the electoral committee and voters. RIK delegate Veljko Odalovic reported an incident at polling station no.2 in Banje involving electoral committee members and voters, and that voting had been suspended in order to conduct an inquiry. KPS spokesman Besim Hoti told Tanjug that the police had detained one person involved in the incident. “That individual is being held in custody at the police station in Suvo Grlo, in the municipality of Srbica, and has been charged with public order offences. The other person that took part in the altercation sustained minor injuries, and has been hospitalized,” said Hoti. Srbica Municipal coordinator Dejan Tomasevic told Tanjug that the incident had taken place this morning, when a Socialist Party of Serbia (SRS) committee member came to blows with a member of the public who had come to vote. UNMIK: Belgrade breaching Resolution 1244 Holding Serbian local elections in Kosovo is a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and their results will be invalid, says UNMIK spokesman Aleksandar Ivanko. UNMIK and the Kosovo institutions warned that the Serbian local elections would be illegitimate and deemed invalid, although voting is continuing regardless. Ivanko told Radio Free Europe that UNMIK would not recognize the results of the local elections, as they contravened Resolution 1244. He said that Belgrade was fully aware of this, but was continuing to flout the resolution. “Local elections are illegal and won’t be valid, as under Resolution 1244, only the UN mission in Kosovo can organize local elections. We’ve put our position across to the Serbian government very clearly, but they’ve gone ahead and organized elections, and so breached Resolution 1244, that they say they support,” the UNMIK spokesman underlined. UNMIK representatives had no problems as far as the parliamentary vote was concerned. “We won’t support the parliamentary elections, but we won’t block them,” said Ivanko.

Elections in Kosovo without major incidents

Voting in Kosovo took place at 279 polling stations, as well as at a further 16 where displaced persons living in Kosovo could vote.

Registered voters were allowed to vote for municipal councilors wherever they lived, RIK in Kosovo has confirmed.

The Electoral Commission’s (RIK) has accredited 10 organizations to monitor proceedings in Kosovo.

The security situation in the province was mostly peaceful and completely under control, reported members of the Kosovo Police Service and KFOR.

International police and KFOR troops were patrolling and monitoring polling stations in their usual numbers.

Incident in Banje

Voting at one polling station in Kosovo was temporarily suspended following an altercation between members of the electoral committee and voters.

RIK delegate Veljko Odalović reported an incident at polling station no.2 in Banje involving electoral committee members and voters, and that voting had been suspended in order to conduct an inquiry.

KPS spokesman Besim Hoti told Tanjug that the police had detained one person involved in the incident.

“That individual is being held in custody at the police station in Suvo Grlo, in the municipality of Srbica, and has been charged with public order offences. The other person that took part in the altercation sustained minor injuries, and has been hospitalized,” said Hoti.

Srbica Municipal coordinator Dejan Tomašević told Tanjug that the incident had taken place this morning, when a Socialist Party of Serbia (SRS) committee member came to blows with a member of the public who had come to vote.

UNMIK: Belgrade breaching Resolution 1244

Holding Serbian local elections in Kosovo is a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and their results will be invalid, says UNMIK spokesman Aleksandar Ivanko.

UNMIK and the Kosovo institutions warned that the Serbian local elections would be illegitimate and deemed invalid, although voting is continuing regardless.

Ivanko told Radio Free Europe that UNMIK would not recognize the results of the local elections, as they contravened Resolution 1244.

He said that Belgrade was fully aware of this, but was continuing to flout the resolution.

“Local elections are illegal and won’t be valid, as under Resolution 1244, only the UN mission in Kosovo can organize local elections. We’ve put our position across to the Serbian government very clearly, but they’ve gone ahead and organized elections, and so breached Resolution 1244, that they say they support,” the UNMIK spokesman underlined.

UNMIK representatives had no problems as far as the parliamentary vote was concerned.

“We won’t support the parliamentary elections, but we won’t block them,” said Ivanko.