CONTENTS
MASSIVE PARTICIPATION OF KOSOVARS IN FIRST FREE
ELECTIONS
KOUCHNER: KOSOVARS, TODAY YOU MAKE ME PROUD
UN SG ANNAN
CALLS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT IN KOSOVO
ELECTIONS IN KOSOVO DECREASE
CHANCES ON FRY EXISTENCE
KOHA DITORE: KOSOVO'S GREAT DAY
MASSIVE PARTICIPATION OF KOSOVARS IN FIRST FREE ELECTIONS
Waiting with patience and pride in long lines in front of polling stations, citizens of Kosovo, for the first time, on Saturday cast in ballot boxes decisions for their future. Calmly they headed for the polling stations since the early morning hours and until the evening the largest part of the population cast their votes, reported Koha Ditore on page one.
According to international officials, local elections in Kosovo were magnificent. There was no remark, neither for Kosovars nor for internationals. Some polling stations were opened a bit late because several members of local election commission were late or failed to show up.
Jeff Fischer, head of the Central Election Commission, emphasized that the long lines of people in front of polling stations were created because Kosovars hurried to cast their votes and a majority of them showed up at polling stations in the morning.
During the afternoon, OSCE officials asked citizens to be patient. Later on, it was decided that all polling stations in which citizens would not be able to vote before 1900 hours - the time foreseen for closing the stations - would remain open as long as it was necessary.
Despite the deficiencies, the citizens were reportedly rejoiced. Adile Gashi waited for three hours in front of the polling station at an elementary school in Pristina. I waited for three hours, but it is worth it," she said.
"I think this is the most important day ever, because these are the first elections in the free Kosovo. They surely change our lives for the better," the 53 year-old Osman Berisha, told the paper while waiting in line.
Bernard Kouchner, the UN Chief Administrator in Kosovo, in his address to the people of Kosovo, said: "Kosovars, today you make me proud".
Without any major incident and without any violent case, election day in Kosovo was qualified by UNMIK and KFOR as the most peaceful day in Kosovo, since the war ended.
Demilato, a colonel of KFOR peacekeeping troops in charge of security on election day, was quoted as saying, "I would suggest Ambassador Everts to organize voting every day, because in this way the scale of violence is much lower".
According to an agreement reached between Kosovo political parties and international representatives, the Albanian national flag was allowed in local elections, it was put in the entrance and roofs of polling stations, but not inside the stations.
KOUCHNER: KOSOVARS, TODAY YOU MADE ME PROUD
Koha Ditore carried on page two SRSG Bernard Kouchner's statement at a press briefing Saturday night.
Kosovars passed the test of democracy, they joined the democratic world, massively voting with dignity waiting for hours without provocation and violence. With this, they opened the path to further democratization of Kosovo. Hundreds of journalists and diplomats waited at the OSCE building for the press briefing by the UN administrator Bernard Kouchner.
"People of Kosovo, today you have made me proud. Today you voted peacefully with dignity, tolerance and hope for the future. Today you all have to be as proud as I am. I want to congratulate you and your political leaders for an electoral race without any violence. No one would have believed it, but you did it," said SRSG Bernard Kouchner with a pride that was impossible to hide.
Kosovars gave Kouchner maybe the first time to be proud of his work in Kosovo, they gave him an occasion to praise his mission and recall the critics, which were addressed and today were proven wrong. Kosovars voted with dignity and in percentages which are bigger than most countries that consider themselves democratic.
"Today I have traveled around Kosovo I shared the pride and enthusiasm of hundreds of voters whom I met. I have seen Albanians, Turks, Bosnians, Roma Hashkali and Gorans waiting in queues and voting together," said Kouchner and added that "positively a magnificent spirit" was seen among the people.
"Over the past 17 months we had critics who said that building a
democratic Kosovo was an impossible mission. Today they were proven wrong.
The people of Kosovo have taken responsibility for building their own
freedom" said Kouchner. "October 28 was the least violent day since we
came here last year" added Kouchner and was confirmed by COMKFOR Gen.
Carlo Cabigiosu sitting next to him. "I regret the absence of Kosovo Serbs
from today's elections. It was their choice, I believe they regret it,"
said Bernard Kouchner.
"Kosovo has joined the democratic
world. We were witness to a very important and historic event. The people
of Kosovo have passed the test of democracy. A year and half ago I stood
at Qafa e Morinės and witnessed the expulsion of thousand of Albanians
from their homes. It is astonishing as how the people today took part in
truly democratic process" said OSCE head Daan Everts.
"It was a remarkable example of a civilized process which will lead toward a better future for Kosovo," said COMKFOR Gen. Carlo Cabigiosu. "This is the reward we receive for our efforts, we can see that we were successful in creating a safe environment which enables all Kosovars to cast their vote freely" added Gen. Cabigiosu.
UN SG ANNAN CALLS FOR A TRUE DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT IN KOSOVO
Koha Ditore carried on page eleven UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's message to the people of Kosovo.
On Friday a day before local elections, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called the people of Kosovo for a voting process that is conducted "in a tolerant and peaceful manner" and the results of these elections to be recognized by all.
"These elections represent an important step towards implementation of the mandate that was entrusted to UNMIK," said Annan. "The international community will watch these elections with great interest. If the voting process is free and fair, the people of Kosovo will show the world they are politically mature and can express their will in a democratic way," said Annan. He added that after his special representative in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner and his staff confirms Saturday election results they would start gradual implementation of transferring some of the administrative responsibilities from UNMIK to the elected leaders.
"I call on the people of Kosovo and political leaders to act in a peaceful and tolerant way and to recognize and respect election results," said the Secretary General, calling these actions a "true democratic spirit".
ELECTIONS IN KOSOVO DECREASE CHANCES ON FRY EXISTENCE
Koha Ditore carried on page eleven a report from
Czech papers commenting on the local elections in Kosovo.
All Czech papers on Friday evaluate local elections as a test for international community in Kosovo. The daily Prague paper "Hospodarske Novine" comments that even though election results are not known yet, it is clear that elections in Kosovo have "decreased chances for the existence of FRY".
"There was no need for elections to understand the fact that Kosovo wants to secede from Yugoslavia," said the paper, adding that, "taking in consideration that Albanians are a great majority in Kosovo then there is no influence on the voting or the boycott of the elections by the non-Albanian population."
"After local elections or to be more exact, after the referendum held by Kosovar Albanians for independence, it will be very difficult to convince most moderate Albanians, not to mention former Kosovo Liberation Army members, to remain within FRY," writes the Czech daily.
The US and the EU helped the Albanians to fulfill their dream and adds: "The west in their war against their main enemy in Belgrade, former "Yugoslav" president Slobodan Milosevic and his regime, did not spoil only Kosovo they did it to Montenegro, the existence of the so-called FRY will be hard maybe even impossible".
KOHA DITORE: KOSOVO'S GREAT DAY
Koha Ditore on page three carried an editorial saying:
"A foreigner who has arrived for first time in Kosovo would think that
he lost his way and maybe arrived in Norway or Switzerland. This is
because the elections went in a good and successful way. International
officials were not reluctant to emphasize the success of these elections.
A KFOR official commenting on security during the elections
said that he would suggest to Mr. Everts to hold elections every day in
Kosovo. The streets were so peaceful and the people also.
No
one would believe that just a little more than a year of destructive and
disastrous war, Kosovar Albanians would find the needed strength to hold
such successful elections.
Naturally, those that closely followed the electoral campaign saw that
there was no hatred language, which is usual for the countries in the
region. People were ready to wait for hours in queues to express their
will for those who are going to lead their municipal councils. Each and
every one was ready to give a bit of his contribution for their
municipalities and they did with their vote in the plastic box, no matter
which is the result.
The results will not spoil the well
going of these elections. At least they should not. All political parties
openly admitted that they would respect the election results and hardly
any political party that was a pretender to gain people's votes would
break the given word.
All these facts encourage us
more, when we know that in spring, April or May there will be general
elections, in which perhaps we will determine Kosovo's future.
This time the people of Kosovo proved that they are ready
for democracy. As a people which is ready to be free and independent. The
thrill and joy of all this has been caught in the most excellent way by
the BBC camera when an old man with tearful eyes after voting is seen how
slowly lowers his head and rests his lips on the ballot box. He kisses
Kosovo for which after all that happened he casts his
vote.
Kosovars on
this Saturday gave their votes to these ideals. On 28 October, dignity and
pride were returned to Kosovo".