Local elections scheduled in Kosovo
19/06/2009
Kosovo authorities prepare for the first local elections in the country.
By Besa Beqiri for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 19/06/09
 Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu announced November 15th as the date for the first local elections. [Getty Images] |
The first ever local elections in Kosovo, organised and managed by Kosovo authorities, are set for November 15th, President Fatmir Sejdiu announced after prolonged talks with political parties and international representatives.
According to the constitution, the president must announce the date of the local elections "no less than four months and not more than six months" before the mandate of the ruling institutions expires.
Earlier this month, Sejdiu asked the Central Election Commission (CEC), its chairman Nesrin Lushta, and the CEC Secretariat chief Xhemajl Peqani for support in the first elections process.
"We should not focus on the date, we should focus on having free, fair, democratic elections," Kosovo public broadcaster RTK quoted Prime Minister Hashim Thaci as saying.
He underscored the need for relevant international monitors in the local elections, while Sejdiu appealed to the OSCE in Pristina to help with such measures.
According to Radio Free Europe, Pristina OSCE spokesperson Elli Flen said the OSCE's participation is unclear.
"We are not yet in a position to say what will be our exact role," she said.
Belgrade has no official position on the elections. "We have to establish, with the international community's help, under what conditions should we endorse Serb participation at the local elections [in Kosovo], so that they are possible and realistic," Belgrade-based B92 quoted Oliver Ivanovic, the state secretary of Serbia's Ministry for Kosovo, as saying.
Sejdiu invited Kosovo Serbs to participate in the local elections, as an important element in the country's political process.
He requested international assistance to encourage Kosovo Serb participation, and warned Belgrade not to become an obstacle.
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