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Kosovo’s parliament reserved 10 seats for the Serbian minority, but witnesses said Serb voters, including active Serbian Orthodox Christians, appeared to be heeding a call to boycott Saturday’s poll. Oliver Ivanovic, a Kosovo Serb leader, wasn’t surprised. "Local fellows of the government are pressing the local people not to appear at the voting booths," he said. "That pressure is practically not needed because all people are concerned that participation in the election can undermine the negotiation position of the Serbian delegation."
There has been concerns among Serbian Orthodox Christians that persecution could intensify when Kosovo breakaway from Serbia. Church leaders say already dozens of churches and
other religious sites have been either completely destroyed or seriously damaged by Kosovo Albanian mobs in recent years.
Saturday’s elections for new legislative and municipal representatives were the first organized by local authorities since 1999, when the United Nations took control over the province following the ouster of Serb forces by NATO. Serbs comprise less than 10 percent of Kosovo’s mainly ethnic Albanian population of over 2 million people, and officials have expressed concerns about their future after the ballot.
CONSTITUTION TROUBLES
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica told reporters in Budapest this week that he still hopes to reach a compromise. He said he was ready to provide Kosovo with autonomy, or
independence, within the borders of Serbia. Officials have compared that compromise with the status of Hong Kong in China.
Kostunica said any other solution would violate Serbia’s constitution. "Serbia also has a democratic constitution which very clearly articulates that Kosovo is an inseparable part of
Serbia. So in this respect should any attempts being made to declare independence, Serbia by all means appeal."
Kosovo’s main ethnic Albanian candidates have rejected anything other than full independence for Kosovo. Despite the controversy, the commander of the NATO-led ‘KFOR’ force in Kosovo, Lieutenant-General Xavier Bout de Marnhac, said he hopes Serbs and ethnic Albanians will both vote in the elections.
"SUFFICIENT TROOPS"
"KFOR would be ready and there are a sufficient number of troops will be deployed in the field to provide security," he added. "So my message is to any citizens, ‘You have the
freedom to vote in a safe and secure environment and please use your right to vote.’ I think this is important for the future of Kosovo."
Prime Minister Agim Ceku, a former separatist guerrilla commander, is stepping down as Kosovo’s prime minister. The ruling Democratic League of Kosovo is in a tight race against
the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo, led by Hashim Thaci, another former guerrilla. Pre-election surveys showed the opposition holding a narrow lead.
Thaci has promised his voters a complete break from Serbia almost immediately after December 10, when internationally supervised talks with Belgrade end. Despite the campaign pledge, the opposition party was not expected to receive enough votes to avoid forming a coalition with the ruling party. (Parts of this BosNewsLife News story also air on the Voice of America (VOA) with website www.voanews.com. Bos report (mp3) – Download 785k Listen to Bos report (mp3) )
