Votes counted, decision on K. Mitrovica on Monday

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA The local elections held on Sunday in Kosovo were marked by incidents. The results are coming in, but the four municipalities in the north are left out for now. The decision on how to proceed with Kosovska Mitrovica will be made today. Votes counted, decision on K. Mitrovica on Monday On Sunday, reports said that Serb extremists demolished ballot boxes in three schools in Kosovska Mitrovica that were used as polling stations. Political representatives of Serbs are seeking the voting to be annulled and elections to be held again. Deputy PM Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday asked the international community "to allow Serbia to intervene," and his request was rejected. EULEX, KFOR, and KPS are looking for the attackers. OSCE announced that their observers had been withdrawn from northern Kosovo for their security, while the ballots from three municipalities in the north - but not from Kosovska Mitrovica - was under their surveillance. This organization also said it did not seek the elections to be annulled. The Serbian authorities accused "Hashim Thaci, the DSS, right-wingers, and para-church organizations" for instigating the incidents, but the DSS party rejected these accusations and pointed the finger at members of the Serbian Gendarmerie. Other incidents on Sunday included a stoning of an OSCE vehicle, and the discovery of an explosive device in Kosovska Mitrovica. Foreign media are describing the voting as having gone "in a widespread atmosphere of tension and intimidation." Meanwhile, the Civil Initiative Srpska ticket declared victory in all six Serb-majority municipalities south of the Ibar River. In the other 14 municipalities where it ran, the "Srpska" ticket won more votes than any other Serb ticket, its director Vladeta Kostic told a news conference, Beta reported. Kostic added that Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic "congratulated the ticket on its victory late on Nov. 3." The Kosovo Electoral Commission said that the turnout in local elections before 7 p.m., when voting stopped, was 45.79 percent or 814,780 registered voters, which is 100,000 more voters than in the 2009 local vote. The turnout in Serb-majority municipalities south of the Ibar River, according to the Kosovo Electoral Commission, was greater than elsewhere with the exception of the predominantly Turk municipality of Mamusa, where a 64.47 turnout was reported. The turnout in Gracanica was 54.66 percent, 57.79 in Ranilug, 64.24 in Partes, 63.39 in Klokot and 61.39 percent in Strpce. Kosovo Electoral Commission President Valdete Daka stressed that the figures included ballots from municipalities in Kosovo's north, "before 3 p.m. " She added that, at around 5 p.m., groups of hooligans crashed voting stations in several municipalities in Kosovo's north, where they blocked voting, which was why the vote stopped there. Daka told the relevant security bodies to deliver the electoral material from these stations to the Electoral Commission. Daka also said that the OSCE had not requested nor could it request the annulment of voting in Kosovo's north, stressing that the decision would be reached by the Electoral Commission after going over the electoral process. (Tanjug) Beta Tanjug

Votes counted, decision on K. Mitrovica on Monday

On Sunday, reports said that Serb extremists demolished ballot boxes in three schools in Kosovska Mitrovica that were used as polling stations.

Political representatives of Serbs are seeking the voting to be annulled and elections to be held again.

Deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić on Sunday asked the international community "to allow Serbia to intervene," and his request was rejected.

EULEX, KFOR, and KPS are looking for the attackers.

OSCE announced that their observers had been withdrawn from northern Kosovo for their security, while the ballots from three municipalities in the north - but not from Kosovska Mitrovica - was under their surveillance. This organization also said it did not seek the elections to be annulled.

The Serbian authorities accused "Hashim Thaci, the DSS, right-wingers, and para-church organizations" for instigating the incidents, but the DSS party rejected these accusations and pointed the finger at members of the Serbian Gendarmerie.

Other incidents on Sunday included a stoning of an OSCE vehicle, and the discovery of an explosive device in Kosovska Mitrovica. Foreign media are describing the voting as having gone "in a widespread atmosphere of tension and intimidation."

Meanwhile, the Civil Initiative Srpska ticket declared victory in all six Serb-majority municipalities south of the Ibar River.

In the other 14 municipalities where it ran, the "Srpska" ticket won more votes than any other Serb ticket, its director Vladeta Kostić told a news conference, Beta reported.

Kostic added that Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić "congratulated the ticket on its victory late on Nov. 3."

The Kosovo Electoral Commission said that the turnout in local elections before 7 p.m., when voting stopped, was 45.79 percent or 814,780 registered voters, which is 100,000 more voters than in the 2009 local vote.

The turnout in Serb-majority municipalities south of the Ibar River, according to the Kosovo Electoral Commission, was greater than elsewhere with the exception of the predominantly Turk municipality of Mamusa, where a 64.47 turnout was reported.

The turnout in Gračanica was 54.66 percent, 57.79 in Ranilug, 64.24 in Partes, 63.39 in Klokot and 61.39 percent in Štrpce.

Kosovo Electoral Commission President Valdete Daka stressed that the figures included ballots from municipalities in Kosovo's north, "before 3 p.m. "

She added that, at around 5 p.m., groups of hooligans crashed voting stations in several municipalities in Kosovo's north, where they blocked voting, which was why the vote stopped there. Daka told the relevant security bodies to deliver the electoral material from these stations to the Electoral Commission.

Daka also said that the OSCE had not requested nor could it request the annulment of voting in Kosovo's north, stressing that the decision would be reached by the Electoral Commission after going over the electoral process.