In election campaigning, Hashim Thaci of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) promised ethnic Albanians who comprise 90 percent of Kosovo’s two million population he would “immediately” move to declare independence if elected.
Unofficial results compiled by independent poll observers Democracy In Action after around 80 percent of votes had been counted indicated that Thaci had secured 34 percent of the vote, well ahead of his nearest rival.
Saturday’s vote came just days before a crucial round of negotiations in Brussels to decide the future status of the southern Serbian province, whose independence Belgrade’s fiercely opposes.
Independence
“The citizens of Kosovo sent the world a message... The strongest message was that Kosovo is ready (for) independence,” a triumphant Thaci said to thousands of cheering supporters after claiming victory.
Deadlocked negotiations over Kosovo's future must be completed by December 10, when a “troika” of European Union, United States and Russian envoys reports to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Voter distrust
But as many as 55 percent of the 1.5 million electorate chose not to participate in Saturday’s polls, a fact analysts put down to voter “distrust” of politicians over corruption and an impoverished economy.
Analysts said the absenteeism was in effect a strong protest vote against the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) which has ruled in Kosovo since its 1998-1999 war between the ethnic Albanian rebels and Serbian forces.
The low turnout slashed support for the LDK, the party of late independence icon Ibrahim Rugova, credited with only 22 percent of the vote compared with 45 percent in elections just three years previously.
“Fifteen percent of people experience extreme poverty and live below the poverty line,” said political analyst Behlul Beqaj.
In addition, the electorate was disenchanted with politicians’ corruption through misuse of public funds, said the head of the European Movement in Kosovo, a non-governmental organisation.
“The majority of the electorate did not take part in the elections which sends a message of distrust towards the political establishment,” Beqaj added.
Legally still a Serbian province, Kosovo has been run by the UN since NATO’s 1999 air war ended a months-long conflict that killed an estimated 10,000 Albanians and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The parliamentary, mayoral and municipal polls were massively boycotted by Kosovo’s 100,000 Serbs, who did not want to give legitimacy to an assembly that looks set to proclaim independence.
Serbia is strongly against any form of independence and is only prepared to offer broad autonomy for Kosovo, a southern territory it regards as the cradle of its history, culture and religion.
