Hoxhaj: OSCE will only facilitate elections
(RTK)
Unification of Serb political entities in a single list to run for the November 3 elections continues to be considered unacceptable. The Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said that this option was harmful. According to him, no one has the right to present alternatives how a political entity will look like, or what will the fate of a certain person in an election process be.
Hoxhaj strictly stated the Kosovo government’s position that the OSCE would play only a facilitating role in the November elections. According to him, this was clearly specified also in the meetings in Brussels between Prime Minister Thaçi, his counterpart Dacic, and the facilitator Ashton.
“In 2012 we gained some experience in terms of organising elections in the north, and at that time the OSCE played a very technical and procedural role. In the last meeting, Prime Minister Thaçi discussed with Baroness Ashton with regard to implementation of this part of the agreement, and I think that the elections will take place in line with the agreement reached, and certainly in line with the Kosovo Constitution and laws,” Minister Hoxhaj said.
Haradinaj: OSCE more than facilitator
(All monitored broadcasters, RTK)
In the November elections, AAK will run also in the north, although it is clear to the AAK officials that now there are few Albanian voters there. This was confirmed by the AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj, but he did not specify whether he would seek votes also in the three Serb municipalities in that area.
Haradinaj made those comments following the meeting with Head of the OSCE Mission at the Conflict prevention Centre, Pascal Heyman. Haradinaj and Heyman discussed elections, particularly elections in the north.
On this occasion, Mr Haradinaj said: “A creative solution needs to be found for holding the elections, as they are the first ones. As you know, earlier when we held elections in Kosovo, the OSCE assisted us or it held the elections for us with logos and with other insignia, whereas now they will be held by Kosovo. I think that the same case is in the north. In other words, a compromise solution can be found for the start.”
“Certainly, the OSCE will exercise more than a facilitating function,” Haradinaj added.
Ballots might not be the same in the whole Kosovo
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
Ballots for the November 3 local elections might not be the same in the whole Kosovo territory. The Central Elections Commission (CEC) chairperson Valdete Daka said that the ballot content was not defined yet. However, she was reserved to respond clearly whether the ballots will contain the emblem of the Republic of Kosovo also in the Serb majority municipalities. According to Daka, CEC does not receive directives from the developments in Brussels.
On the other hand, civil society believes that designing the ballots in any way is a double edged sword. Dardan Berisha of Democracy in Action considers that putting the emblem in the ballots represents a risk for boycott by Serbs; whereas if the emblem would be removed, it would imply non-recognition of Kosovo’s statehood.
Women’s participation in election process low
(TV21)
Political parties and Central Elections Commission (CEC) did not pay much attention to gender equality while implementing election processes. This was stated by Shqipe Gjocaj of Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI).
CEC chairperson Valdete Daka said there was a lack of adequate women’s representation even in CEC, adding that out of eleven CEC members, only Daka represents female gender. She believes that had the 30 per cent quota not existed, women’s representation would be less than ten per cent. “So far I have never seen any candidates’ list that contained two women and one man,” Ms Daka said.
Political entity representatives said that in order for women to hold decision-making positions, they need to be empowered within their own political entities.
In this debate, it was appealed to political entities and to the institutions to pay more attention to women’s promotion, in order for their participation in decision-making or in the election process to be higher.
Ambassador Jacobson visits RTK2
(RTK2, RTK)
The US Ambassador to Kosovo Tracey Jacobson stated that with the Prishtinë/Pristina-Belgrade agreement the country was entering the political stability stage. She considers that the Kosovo institutions now should be committed to economic development of the country, and to improvement of citizens’ wellbeing.
Talking about the November 3 local elections, Ambassador Jacobson expressed her optimism for a larger turnout of north Kosovo Serbs.
Jacobson made those statements on the occasion of the visit which she paid to RTK2, the public TV channel which broadcasts in Serbian.
Law on Amnesty stuck
(KTV, Klan Kosova)
Since 11th July when it was passed in the Kosovo Assembly, Law on Amnesty has not moved forward. On Monday it was the deadline for the Kosovo president to decree the Law, but she did not do so. President Jahjaga’s spokesperson Arbër Vllahiu confirmed to Klan Kosova via email that the President acted based on the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Kosovo. According to him, Jahjaga has notified the Assembly on her communication with the Constitutional Court regarding Law on Amnesty, as Vetëvendosje MPs submitted the case to the Constitutional Court.
The Assembly secretary Ismet Krasniqi confirmed that he received a letter from President’s Office, which states that further actions must be in line with Article 43, point 2 of the Law on Constitutional Court.
Regardless this Article, drafter of the Constitution Arsim Bajrami says that the Law enters in force by itself. According to him, the implementation may be stopped only if the Constitutional Court issues a provisional security measure.
However, until the Constitutional Court makes the decision, nobody at this institution, President’s Office or the Assembly explained whether the Law has already been promulgated, repealed, or is it waiting for the decision and subsequently to be submitted to President Jahjaga for promulgation
EULEX vehicle attacked in north
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
A EULEX vehicle was attacked with Molotov cocktail and with stones on Monday after midnight in King Peter’s Street in northern Mitrovicë/Mitrovica. The regional police spokesperson Besim Hoti said that there were no victims of the attack. Hoti added that ten masked persons took part in the attack. The Kosovo Police units are carrying out investigations, and no one has been arrested so far.
Due to the recent EULEX arrests, local Serbs keep blocking the main road to Zvecan/Zveçan. Head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian government Aleksander Vulin has sought clarifications regarding the latest arrests of Serbs in Kosovo, and demanded that as soon as possible the arrested persons be proceeded to be defended in freedom. On the other hand, former state secretary in the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo Oliver Ivanovic said he did not believe that the recent arrests will produce any serious crisis in the north.
