Kosovo elections praised by allies, slammed by Serbia

Fri, Mar 19 2010

Wed, Nov 18 2009 13:17 CET byClive Leviev-Sawyer 2958 Views 40 Comments

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Kosovo elections praised by allies, slammed by Serbia

Workers carry ballot boxes at the Kosovo Election Commission counting centre in Pristina, Kosovo, November 16 2009.

The United States, United Kingdom and the Swedish presidency of the European Union were among the first to congratulate Kosovo on conducting its first local elections since its February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia.

Belgrade, which rejects Kosovo’s UDI as illegal, hit out at the November 15 2009 vote as illegitimate and what it described as the low turnout by ethnic Serbs in Kosovo as proof that the elections meant nothing.

Voting in Kosovo’s local elections produced first-round victories in 16 out of 36 municipalities. Prime minister Hashim Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won five municipalities, the AAK four and Fatmir Sejdiu’s Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) three on the first round. Candidates of minority parties won in four municipalities. Run-offs are to be held in 20 municipalities.

UK foreign secretary David Miliband said that the local elections had "attracted a good turnout from all Kosovo communities, which is a crucial indication for Kosovo as a strong multiethnic democracy".

Milliband acknowledged that there had been irregularities.

"I call on all political parties to resolve these through channels of the Central Election Commission and to renew their commitment toward international standards in the run-off elections in December and during the spring elections in the new municipalities in Partesh and northern Mitrovica," he said.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen congratulated Kosovo on the organisation and peaceful conduct of the vote. "I am encouraged by the participation of many Kosovo Serbs to make their voice heard," he said.

The US, a staunch supporter of Kosovo and the leader in recognising its independence, praised the poll.

US ambassador in Kosovo Christopher Dell said that Kosovo and its citizens could be proud.

"Kosovo voters, politicians and its officials, in charge with organising and managing the elections process, have shown to the world that an independent Kosovo is a place where democracy can flourish and is flourishing," Dell said.

Bulgaria, one of 22 European Union states that recognise Kosovo – five do not – said that it was pleased to note the peaceful and democratic way in which Kosovo’s local elections had been held.

"The elections were well organized and constitute a major stride in the process of building a stable, peaceful, democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo," the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said in a media statement.

Belgrade daily Politika quoted Serbia’s minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanović, as saying that the time when Belgrade sent "directives" had passed.

"We were not leading an anti-campaign, we did not threaten anyone and we did not demonise anybody. Perhaps fewer Serbs would have voted if we acted like our predecessors."

"We gave a recommendation to the Kosovo Serbs that there were no conditions to vote in the so-called Kosovo elections," he said.

However, some of the Serbs decided to vote because they thought that it would help them improve their economic situation and survive in the area, Bogdanović said.

Radio Srbija quoted the state secretary in Serbia’s ministry for Kosovo, Zvonimir Stević, as saying that "the numerous irregularities and the low turnout of Serbs" for local elections confirmed their illegitimacy.

More than 200 000 displaced Serbs did not have an opportunity to vote and were removed from electoral lists, and this also confirmed the irregularity of the elections, Stević said.