Election silence falls in Kosovo

The two main protagonists in the Kosovo elections have held rallies before election silence comes into force. The Democratic Union of Kosovo and the Democratic Party of Kosovo have both held meetings where their respective leaders sent final messages to their voters prior to Saturday’s elections. Election silence falls in Kosovo Campaigns for both parliamentary and local elections came to an end yesterday at midnight. Around 1.5mn Kosovo residents entitled to vote will elect 100 MPs to the Kosovo parliament, as well as representatives and presidents in 30 municipalities. 20 seats in the parliament are reserved for Serbs and other minority communities. Addressing the party faithful, Democratic Union of Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu called on all citizens to vote for his party, promising to carry out the will of the people for an independent Kosovo. Speaking to his party supporters for the last time before elections, Democratic Party leader Hasim Thaci said that November 17 was decision day for Kosovo. “The Democratic Party of Kosovo’s victory at the elections will be a great day for Kosovo,” said Thaci. Election organizers are faced with two big challenges: providing a constant supply of electricity, to which end the government and UNMIK have set aside EUR 1.2mn for emergency imports, and the impracticality of setting up polling stations in the north of the province, owing to the Serb boycott. As far as the second problem is concerned, there are rumors going round Pristina journalists’ circles that the Serbian education minister has strongly forbade school doors to be opened for the elections, though this information could not be officially confirmed. The solution for such a scenario is the establishment of mobile voting teams in the north. In Belgrade, members of the Kosovo Parliamentary Committee have repeated their calls for an election boycott. Most of the election debate was devoted to mutual apportioning of blame for the difficult position of the Serbs in the province, and the financial irregularities concerning the budget sent to them. The prevailing opinion among Committee participants was that the Serbs should not vote in the Kosovo elections and give legitimacy to the Albanian authorities, who are preparing to declare independence. “The only legitimate elections as far as the Serbs are concerned are those called by Serbia,” said Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) official, Marko Jaksic. Christian Democratic Party leader Vladan Batic did not agree with the majority. His opinion that the election debate had come too late and that more time should be dedicated to the financial irregularities in the province, to smuggling routes and misappropriation of state funds, sparked a discussion among almost all the Committee members. Committee President Vladimir Milentijevic (DSS) said that Batic was trying to cause an incident by bringing up issues not on the agenda, as he had during an earlier session, when he and Jaksic had had a heated verbal exchange. Several MPs, including Democrat Goran Bogdanovic, a member of the Kosovo negotiating team, berated Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardzic and his colleagues for failing to attend the session, in spite of earlier assurances to the contrary. MPs were also unhappy that the negotiating team had not been submitting progress reports on the talks, which are now entering their final phase. Election fever hits Kosovo (FoNet)

Election silence falls in Kosovo

Campaigns for both parliamentary and local elections came to an end yesterday at midnight.

Around 1.5mn Kosovo residents entitled to vote will elect 100 MPs to the Kosovo parliament, as well as representatives and presidents in 30 municipalities. 20 seats in the parliament are reserved for Serbs and other minority communities.

Addressing the party faithful, Democratic Union of Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu called on all citizens to vote for his party, promising to carry out the will of the people for an independent Kosovo.

Speaking to his party supporters for the last time before elections, Democratic Party leader Hasim Thaci said that November 17 was decision day for Kosovo. “The Democratic Party of Kosovo’s victory at the elections will be a great day for Kosovo,” said Thaci.

Election organizers are faced with two big challenges: providing a constant supply of electricity, to which end the government and UNMIK have set aside EUR 1.2mn for emergency imports, and the impracticality of setting up polling stations in the north of the province, owing to the Serb boycott.

As far as the second problem is concerned, there are rumors going round Priština journalists’ circles that the Serbian education minister has strongly forbade school doors to be opened for the elections, though this information could not be officially confirmed.

The solution for such a scenario is the establishment of mobile voting teams in the north.

In Belgrade, members of the Kosovo Parliamentary Committee have repeated their calls for an election boycott.

Most of the election debate was devoted to mutual apportioning of blame for the difficult position of the Serbs in the province, and the financial irregularities concerning the budget sent to them.

The prevailing opinion among Committee participants was that the Serbs should not vote in the Kosovo elections and give legitimacy to the Albanian authorities, who are preparing to declare independence.

“The only legitimate elections as far as the Serbs are concerned are those called by Serbia,” said Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) official, Marko Jakšić.

Christian Democratic Party leader Vladan Batić did not agree with the majority. His opinion that the election debate had come too late and that more time should be dedicated to the financial irregularities in the province, to smuggling routes and misappropriation of state funds, sparked a discussion among almost all the Committee members.

Committee President Vladimir Milentijević (DSS) said that Batić was trying to cause an incident by bringing up issues not on the agenda, as he had during an earlier session, when he and Jakšić had had a heated verbal exchange.

Several MPs, including Democrat Goran Bogdanović, a member of the Kosovo negotiating team, berated Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardžić and his colleagues for failing to attend the session, in spite of earlier assurances to the contrary.

MPs were also unhappy that the negotiating team had not been submitting progress reports on the talks, which are now entering their final phase.