Kosovo elections were 'violence-free and
all-inclusive,' Security Council told
27 November – Briefing the United
Nations Security Council on the recent vote in Kosovo, a top UN
official today said the peacekeeping mission in the territory
was satisfied with the entire polling process - "from the
violence-free campaign to the all-inclusive elections."
In his briefing on the major developments leading
up to the 17 November Assembly elections, the Assistant-Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping, Hédi Annabi, said the period preceding
the polling had been relatively calm.
"All parties, including the Kosovo Serb
Return Coalition, carried out rallies throughout Kosovo in a peaceful
manner and largely adhered to the electoral rules," he said.
"Infringements that went to the Complaint and Appeals Subcommission
were relatively minor in nature, and all were adjudicated in a
timely manner."
The number of eligible voters was over 1.2 million,
with the UN peacekeeping operation (UNMIK) estimating that some
150,000 eligible voters were Kosovo Serbs. The overall turnout
was 64.3 per cent of Kosovo's 1.25 million registered voters.
Kosovo Serb participation was "patchy," with a higher
turnout in the enclaves than in northern Mitrovica, Mr. Annabi
said, attributing the discrepancy to an intimidation campaign
in northern Kosovo led by those Kosovo Serbs who were against
participation.
More than 1,300 candidates from 26 political
parties contested the elections, including 60 from the Kosovo
Serb Return Coalition, the UN official said. In the final results,
the Democratic League of Kosovo won 45.7 per cent of the vote
and the Democratic Party of Kosovo won 25.7 per cent, with the
Return Coalition accounting for 11.3 per cent and the Alliance
for the Future of Kosovo with 7.8 per cent.
Concluding, Mr. Annabi said the election
process in Kosovo would provide a solid basis for the institutions
of provisional self-government that would now be established in
accordance with Security Council resolution 1244 of 1999.
Kosovo: partial election results show Rugova's
party in lead - UN mission
20 November – Partial results of last
weekend's elections to the legislative assembly in Kosovo showed
the political party led by Ibrahim Rugova to be in the lead but
without sufficient majority to form a government, according to
the United Nations Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK) in the
province.
The head of UNMIK, Hans Haekkerup, announced
at a news conference on Monday evening that the Democratic League
of Kosovo had 46 per cent of all votes cast.
In second place was Hashim Thaci's Democratic
Party of Kosovo, with slightly more than 25 per cent; the Kosovo
Serb Return Coalition was third with nearly 11 percent of the
vote; and Ramush Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
was fourth with more than 7 per cent.
With 120 seats in the Assembly and none of the
parties expected to get more than 50, a coalition may be needed
to reach the minimum of 61 needed to form a government, a UN spokesman
said.
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Kosovo: Security Council, Annan welcome 'orderly
and peaceful' assembly elections
 |
| Pristina voter
casts his ballot |
19 November – United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan and members of the Security Council today welcomed the
"orderly and peaceful" elections for a Kosovo assembly
over the weekend and expressed satisfaction with the large turnout
by minority voters.
"The Secretary-General congratulates the people of Kosovo on
the commitment to democratic norms through peaceful adherence to
the electoral rules shown throughout the campaign and on election
day," Mr. Annan's spokesman, Manoel de Almeida e Silva, said
in a statement at UN Headquarters in New York.
The all-inclusive nature of the elections would
provide a solid basis for the institutions of provisional self-government
that would be established in accordance with the Security Council
resolution on Kosovo, he added.
"The Secretary-General is gratified that
members of the minority communities turned out in significant
numbers and express the hope that the elected representatives
of all communities will take up their rightful place in the institutions
of provisional self-government," Mr. de Almeida e Silva said.
The 15-member Council said in a press statement
by its current President, Ambassador Patricia Durrant of Jamaica,
that the elections were an important step in the implementation
of its resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999 and would enable the establishment
of democratic self-governing institutions as specified in the
Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government.
Council members also recalled the responsibility
of Kosovo's elected leaders and all concerned to respect fully
all the provisions of resolution 1244, in particular the final
status provisions, and to comply with the Constitutional Framework.
"Full respect for resolution 1244 will
contribute to building a democratic, pluralist and prosperous
future for all the communities of Kosovo," Ambassador Durrant
said. "The stability in southeast Europe will also be strengthened."
The Council members commended Mr. Annan's Special
Representative for Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, the UN mission (UNMIK)
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
and all those who contributed to the successful conduct of the
elections, Ambassador Durrant said.
On Saturday, Kosovars voted for a legislative
assembly, casting ballots in Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, as
well as by mail from 36 countries. By Saturday night, with three-quarters
of precincts reporting in, UNMIK and the OSCE said that some 63
percent of eligible voters in Kosovo, as well as select polling
stations in Serbia and Montenegro, turned out to vote.
Annan encourages voters to turn out for
Kosovo's Assembly elections
16 November – United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan today encouraged all eligible voters in Kosovo to turn
out for Saturday's Assembly elections, saying democracy was about
"participation and inclusiveness."
A statement issued by Mr. Annan's spokesman
in New York called tomorrow's poll a "major step forward"
in the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution dealing
with Kosovo by giving the people there provisional self-governing
institutions to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life
for all inhabitants. "This should be a milestone in the development
of an inclusive, prosperous and democratic Kosovo," the statement
said.
"The Secretary-General fully supports the
arrangements in place for the elections," the statement said.
"He hopes that all eligible voters, irrespective of ethnic
backgrounds or political affiliation, will exercise the democratic
right to vote and choose their leaders."
Voters will be choosing a 120-seat Assembly
and a provisional self-government of nine ministers at some 1,600
polling stations in Kosovo. There will be about 170 more in Serbia
and between 10 and 20 in Montenegro. The results of the legislative
elections will be announced Monday.
Speaking to reporters today, the head
of the UN mission in Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, said: "We will
soon have an assembly, a government, a President of Kosovo,"
adding that the purpose of this process was to overcome differences
and bring about reconciliation in Kosovo.
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Security Council calls on 'all women and
men of Kosovo' to vote in elections
9 November – Applauding the role played
by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in advance of the election
in Kosovo, the Security Council this morning called upon all women
and men of the province to take part in the vote on 17 November.
In a statement read out in an open meeting of
the Council by its current President, Ambassador Patricia Durrant
of Jamaica, the 15-member body welcomed the helpful role played
by Yugoslav President Vodislav Kostunica, his Government and that
of the Republic of Serbia, in recommending Kosovo Serb participation
in the elections. The Kosovo Serbs' vote, the Council said, would
allow them to help shape the province's multi-ethnic future.
The statement also welcomed the signing by the
UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and Belgrade on 5 November of a Common
Document, which was consistent with Security Council resolution
1244 and the Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government
in the province.
The Council encouraged the further development
of a constructive dialogue between UNMIK and Yugoslav authorities,
emphasizing the responsibility of the provisional institutions
of self-government and all concerned to fully respect the final
status of resolution 1244. It also underlined its continued commitment
to the full implementation of that resolution, which it said remained
the basis for building Kosovo's future.
Today's action by the Council follows
its 5 October statement urging all Kosovars to vote and calling
on the province's leaders to publicly condemn violence and ethnic
intolerance.
Kosovo: UN mission reaches accord with
Belgrade on Serb vote in upcoming elections
6 November – The head of the United
Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has signed
an agreement with the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
on the provision of security and other guarantees for the Serb
minority in Kosovo ahead of elections in the predominantly ethnic
Albanian province.
UNMIK said in a statement it was "extremely
pleased with the decision by both Serbian and Yugoslav governments
to endorse Kosovo Serb participation" in the 17 November
elections.
According to the UN Mission, the Common Document
reaffirms principles already contained in Security Council Resolution
1244 and the Constitutional Framework regarding the rights of
Kosovo Serbs and the obligations towards them.
"It reaffirms our commitments to
improving conditions for Kosovo Serbs and other non-Albanians,"
UNMIK said.
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