BELGRADE, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Elections for 100
members of Kosovo's parliament as well as councilors and heads of 30
municipalities kicked off in the Serbian breakaway province on Saturday.
About 1.5 million voters are
expected to cast their votes.
The elections were scheduled to last from 7
a.m. local time (06:00 GMT) to 19 p.m. (18:00 GMT). Some 150 Council
of Europe observers and 25,000 local monitors were deployed around the polling
stations. NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR)'s 16,000-strong peacekeepers and around
9,000 police were also called to guard against any possible disturbances.
Candidates from a total of 25 parties were
contesting, including those from nine Albanian parties, 14 minority slates and
two independent candidates.
The elections were the third in the Serbian province
since the deployment of KFOR international peacekeepers in 1999 and the first
that held on the basis of proportional representation.
Unlike in earlier polls when voters voted only for
party lists, this time they are allowed to cast free votes.
The elections watchdog Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe has said preliminary results of the votes will be
announced in two or three days and the final results are expected to be released
by the end of the month.
Independence for Kosovo was the dominant theme in the
election campaign and the only issue on which all political leaders agreed
unanimously, pushing the local economy, the problem of massive unemployment and
social welfare into second place.
Serb leaders have called for a boycott, claiming
"there are no instruments in place" to protect them against being outvoted by
ethnic Albanians.
Although eight Serb representatives from some fringe
groups are named on ballots, most Serbian would-be candidates are boycotting the
election at the behest of the Serbian government.
Belgrade remains staunchly opposed to Kosovo's
independence, saying that it is prepared to offer ethnic Albanians broad local
autonomy within Serbia's borders.
The KFOR Commander Lieutenant General Xavier de
Marnhac said that the international peace forces would strive to ensure security
for all voters and that the elections were going on peacefully.
Analysts say the elections can likely end decades of
domination by the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo of late president Ibrahim
Rugova, which is, according to surveys, trailing the Democratic Party of Kosovo
led by Hashim Thaci, a 39-year old former guerilla commander during the Kosovo
war.
EP delegation to observe elections in
Kosovo
BRUSSELS, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament has
sent an electoral observation mission to Kosovo to observe the elections to a
Kosovo-wide Assembly that will take place on Saturday. Full story
U.N. mission chief calls on Kosovo
citizens to vote in elections
BELGRADE, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the U.N.
Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) called on local citizens on Friday to vote at
Saturday's provincial parliamentary elections despite boycott announced by the
Serbian government. Full story
Serbia rejects "neutral status"
proposal for Kosovo
BELGRADE, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Serbia
rejected Wednesday the contact group Troika's "neutral status "proposal for
Kosovo, warning that it is impossible with regards to Serbia, because Kosovo is
an integral and inalienable part of its territory. Full story
New round of Kosovo talks end without
progress
VIENNA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The new
round of talks on the future status of Kosovo in Serbia ended here on Monday
without any progress due to disagreement between Serbians and Kosovo Albanians.
Full story
