SERBIA: Polls close in Northern Kosovo with Serbians boycotting the elections, only three people voted

Record ID: 830580

  • Title: SERBIA: Polls close in Northern Kosovo with Serbians boycotting the elections, only three people voted
  • Date: 18th November 2007
  • Summary: (W4) MITROVICA, SERBIA (NOVEMBER 17, 2007) (REUTERS) OSCE OFFICIALS CLOSING MOBILE POLLING STATION OSCE OFFICIAL COUNTING UNUSED BALLOT PAPERS, WRITING NUMBER DOWN ON PIECE OF PAPER OSCE OFFICIAL LIFTING BALLOT BOX WITH ONLY ONE SET OF BALLOT PAPERS IN IT CLOSE UP OF BALLOT BOX HOLDING ONE SET OF BALLOT PAPERS IN IT (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) SPOKESMAN FOR SERBIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL RADE NEGOJEVIC SAYING: "Results are as we expected. Out of 46,000 registered voters (in the Serb controlled enclaves) only three people voted in Northern Kosovo. Two people voted in Leposavic district, one in Zvecan and not a single person in North Mitrovica." NEGOJEVIC TALKING ON A MOBILE PHONE WITH ELECTION OFFICIALS IN SERBIAN ENCLAVES, WRITING DOWN NUMBER OF VOTERS
  • Embargoed: 3rd December 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Serbia
  • Country: Serbia
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7FTFKEDCS6R1PR94BINC4UEN6
  • Story Text: Polls close in Northern Kosovo, with the 100,000- strong Serb minority boycotting the Kosovo parliamentary elections at the demand of the Serb government, which bitterly opposes an independent Kosovo.
    Polls closed on time in Northern Kosovo on Saturday (November 17) with Serbians boycotting the elections.
    OSCE set up mobile polling stations on trucks in the enclaves after Serbian officials refused to set up polling stations in public buildings.
    "Out of 46,000 registered voters (in the Serb controlled enclaves) only three people voted in Northern Kosovo. Two people voted in Leposavic district, one in Zvecan and not a single person in North Mitrovica," Rade Negojevic, spokesman for Serbian National Council told Reuters Television.
    Turnout weak among Albanians, who have grown suspicious of political parties and unfulfilled promises of jobs and economic development.
    By 2was also p.m. (1300 GMT), 24 percent of the 1.5 million eligible voters had cast ballots.
    The OSCE said turnout among Kosovo's small Serb minority was predictably minimal, after Serb leaders in Belgrade warned voters not to legitimise a "secessionist" parliament. Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku, a former guerrilla commander who does not have a party of his own, is stepping down. Hashim Thaci, who leads the Democratic Party of Kosovo, is a narrow favourite to succeed him, according to opinion polls.
    Whatever the result, all four main parties have committed to unilaterally declare an independent republic. Diplomats expect it to come within weeks, not days, of the mediators' report, despite Thaci's rhetoric.
    Analyst, Agrom Bajrami said the low turnout was due to residents lack of trust in politicans ability to improve the quality of life in Kosovo.
    "The other fact with which people are dissatisfied is the quality of living and I think that the campaigns of the last three weeks didn't change the mind of the people. They don't trust actually, this is the message, they don't trust that these people can change this low quality of life here,"
    he said.
    Bajrami added people would not have to live with these elections results for long, saying in the next election politicans should not make promises that they cannot deliver.
    "They should sit down and draft a resonable programme about a place that has a high level of unemployment and a place that almost doesn't have an economy. You shouldn't be speaking about big roles in a place where people don't have access to water," Bajrami added.
    If he wins, Thaci would still have to form a coalition, possibly with the Democratic League of Kosovo of the late independence icon Ibrahim Rugova.
    They would hope to create a new government before the mediators hand in their report.
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