Talks stall over Kosovo election date

Consultations between Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and political party representatives have failed to yield an agreement on a date for local elections. After the meeting yesterday, Sejdiu said that a final decision on the date for municipal elections would be taken early next week. Talks stall over Kosovo election date “There were various proposals today for the election date . After the first round of consultations with political party representatives, I had a meeting with the Central Electoral Commission’s executive director, the head of the OSCE mission to Kosovo and the head of the International Civilian Office, and I promised that we would have a date for them at the start of next week,“ said the president. Speaking on behalf of the opposition, Ibrahim Makolli, deputy leader of the New Kosovo Alliance, said that no agreement had been reached with the president at the meeting, nor had any date been earmarked for local elections in the province. “There was a proposal to hold elections in the second half of October, and a proposal for them to be in November. Each side outlined its own arguments. We hope President Sejdiu will take a decision very soon,“ Makolli told journalists. He stressed that the opposition insisted that municipal elections should be held in October. Under the constitution, Sejdiu is authorized to call local and parliamentary elections. The president’s cabinet has said repeatedly this week that Sejdiu needs more time for consultations. Meanwhile, the opposition has accused the governing coalition and the president of stalling over their decision to call elections in the hope of putting them off until 2010, an accusation the president’s cabinet refuted. Fatmir Sejdiu (FoNet, archive)

Talks stall over Kosovo election date

“There were various proposals today for the election date . After the first round of consultations with political party representatives, I had a meeting with the Central Electoral Commission’s executive director, the head of the OSCE mission to Kosovo and the head of the International Civilian Office, and I promised that we would have a date for them at the start of next week,“ said the president.

Speaking on behalf of the opposition, Ibrahim Makolli, deputy leader of the New Kosovo Alliance, said that no agreement had been reached with the president at the meeting, nor had any date been earmarked for local elections in the province.

“There was a proposal to hold elections in the second half of October, and a proposal for them to be in November. Each side outlined its own arguments. We hope President Sejdiu will take a decision very soon,“ Makolli told journalists.

He stressed that the opposition insisted that municipal elections should be held in October.

Under the constitution, Sejdiu is authorized to call local and parliamentary elections.

The president’s cabinet has said repeatedly this week that Sejdiu needs more time for consultations.

Meanwhile, the opposition has accused the governing coalition and the president of stalling over their decision to call elections in the hope of putting them off until 2010, an accusation the president’s cabinet refuted.