Preliminary results show Thaci party victory

Early results from the Kosovo elections held yesterday show the party of Hashim Thaci has the lead, while Serb parties that participated accuse each other. The commission in charge of organizing elections in Kosovo (CIK) late on Monday announced the preliminary results. Preliminary results show Thaci party victory It said that Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo had picked up 33.5 percent of the vote, followed by Isa Mustafa's Democratic Alliance of Kosovo with 23.6 percent, and Albin Kurti's Self-Determination Movement with 12.2 percent of total votes. Ramush Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosovo took 10.8 percent of the vote, while Bexhet Pacoli's Alliance for a New Kosovo won 7.1 percent, according to this. As for the Serb parties that participated in the vote, the CIK said the SLS won 1.8 percent of the total cast votes, while the United Serb List picked up 0.7 percent. According to this, the turnout was 47.5 percent. The commission also announced there were 28,564 "conditional votes" that would be counted later. Earlier today, Reuters reported that "Thaci’s rivals did not concede, citing suspicions of irregularities in two of his stronghold towns". While the commission's first official announcement was awaited all day on Monday, Thaci's PDK declared themselves the victors, with one official, Vlora Citaku, saying that they will seek to form the government "with one minor party, and parties of minorities". North of the Ibar River Serbs ignored the ballot, while in the enclaves in the south, Slobodan Petrovic and his SLS party, which took part in the previous government in Pristina, declared victory. However, Radmila Trajkovic's United Serb List accused SLS of serious ballot manipulation and said she would demand that results of the voting be annulled. Representatives of these two Serb parties also engage in incidents in the enclave of Strpce. Ahead of the election, the government in Belgrade refused to invite Serbs to participate, saying that "conditions were not present". People vote during elections in Kosovo (Beta) Silence of the CIK While Thaci's party celebrated victory in Pristina last night, which almost led to armed clashes with their rivals, the elections commission (CIK) was silent until late on Monday. The commission only said that parties were free to lodge complaints, but refrained from announcing preliminary results, or possible irregularities. Ismet Krueziu of the Democracy in Action said that there were "manipulations and irregularities that hurt the election process", adding that irregularities in the polling stations in Srbica and Glogovac could jeopardize that process. Meanwhile, rivals to Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), refuse to concede defeat. LDK is waiting for the preliminary results of the Kosovo Central Election Commission and does not want to give rush assessments of election results, LDK Secretary General Ismet Beciri stated. "The DSK's stand regarding voting in Srbica and Glogovac, central Kosovo, has not changed. An election fraud took place at these polling stations," Beciri said and Pristina-based electronic media reported. Beciri said that LDK "refuses to be part of the winning coalition together with PDK. LDK cannot build a coalition with those who manipulated with ballots. There will be no coalition with PDK," he underlined. EU congratulates European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule congratulated the people of Kosovo on the Sunday elections, and expressed expectation that a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be opened as soon as possible. "It is crucial now to establish a new government and appoint president so that they could face the challenges to come. We are looking forward to cooperation with the new leaders of Kosovo and the soon beginning of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue," the joint statement of Ashton and Fule reads. They also underlined that there is much joint work to be done in 2011 so that Kosovo could make progress towards the EU. The high representatives of the EU congratulated the Kosovo authorities on the elections which were carried out peacefully and in keeping with the law, and welcomed the participation of all minorities in the elections. The partaking of all minorities is very welcome. It is up to the authorities now to solve the problem of remarks about the election process in keeping with the law, the statement reads.

Preliminary results show Thaci party victory

It said that Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo had picked up 33.5 percent of the vote, followed by Isa Mustafa's Democratic Alliance of Kosovo with 23.6 percent, and Albin Kurti's Self-Determination Movement with 12.2 percent of total votes.

Ramush Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosovo took 10.8 percent of the vote, while Bexhet Pacoli's Alliance for a New Kosovo won 7.1 percent, according to this.

As for the Serb parties that participated in the vote, the CIK said the SLS won 1.8 percent of the total cast votes, while the United Serb List picked up 0.7 percent.

According to this, the turnout was 47.5 percent. The commission also announced there were 28,564 "conditional votes" that would be counted later.

Earlier today, Reuters reported that "Thaci’s rivals did not concede, citing suspicions of irregularities in two of his stronghold towns".

While the commission's first official announcement was awaited all day on Monday, Thaci's PDK declared themselves the victors, with one official, Vlora Citaku, saying that they will seek to form the government "with one minor party, and parties of minorities".

North of the Ibar River Serbs ignored the ballot, while in the enclaves in the south, Slobodan Petrović and his SLS party, which took part in the previous government in Priština, declared victory.

However, Radmila Trajković's United Serb List accused SLS of serious ballot manipulation and said she would demand that results of the voting be annulled.

Representatives of these two Serb parties also engage in incidents in the enclave of Štrpce.

Ahead of the election, the government in Belgrade refused to invite Serbs to participate, saying that "conditions were not present".

Silence of the CIK

While Thaci's party celebrated victory in Priština last night, which almost led to armed clashes with their rivals, the elections commission (CIK) was silent until late on Monday.

The commission only said that parties were free to lodge complaints, but refrained from announcing preliminary results, or possible irregularities.

Ismet Krueziu of the Democracy in Action said that there were "manipulations and irregularities that hurt the election process", adding that irregularities in the polling stations in Srbica and Glogovac could jeopardize that process.

Meanwhile, rivals to Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), refuse to concede defeat.

LDK is waiting for the preliminary results of the Kosovo Central Election Commission and does not want to give rush assessments of election results, LDK Secretary General Ismet Beciri stated.

"The DSK's stand regarding voting in Srbica and Glogovac, central Kosovo, has not changed. An election fraud took place at these polling stations," Beciri said and Pristina-based electronic media reported.

Beciri said that LDK "refuses to be part of the winning coalition together with PDK. LDK cannot build a coalition with those who manipulated with ballots. There will be no coalition with PDK," he underlined.

EU congratulates

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule congratulated the people of Kosovo on the Sunday elections, and expressed expectation that a dialogue between Belgrade and Priština will be opened as soon as possible.

"It is crucial now to establish a new government and appoint president so that they could face the challenges to come. We are looking forward to cooperation with the new leaders of Kosovo and the soon beginning of the Belgrade-Priština dialogue," the joint statement of Ashton and Fule reads.

They also underlined that there is much joint work to be done in 2011 so that Kosovo could make progress towards the EU.

The high representatives of the EU congratulated the Kosovo authorities on the elections which were carried out peacefully and in keeping with the law, and welcomed the participation of all minorities in the elections.

The partaking of all minorities is very welcome. It is up to the authorities now to solve the problem of remarks about the election process in keeping with the law, the statement reads.