Headlines - 30.05.2014

Jacobson: Vote for those who will guarantee lawfulness (dailies)

The US Ambassador in Kosovo, Tracey Ann Jacobson, said on Thursday that it was very important for the 8 June parliamentary elections to be democratic and free. She said Kosovo is on the right path regarding the drafting of laws, but added that the laws are not being implemented properly. Jacobson called on voters to support leaders that will guarantee lawfulness in Kosovo. In an address to students of Pristina University, Jacobson said last year’s municipal elections were organized in a very good way and that the upcoming parliamentary elections could be organized even better. She said the international community would not accept anything short of free elections. “Last year’s local elections showed that every vote counts and every vote has its importance. From our side, the international community will not accept anything but transparent elections and you should not expect anything less,” Jacobson said.

Bosch: Vote recount not in line with European practices (Koha)

The paper reports on the front page that the push by some members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to institute automatic vote recounts at the Counting and Results Center supersedes the competencies of the independent CEC and raises questions about its management of the elections. Election experts and the Dutch ambassador to Kosovo, Robert Bosch, expressed concern, as representatives of political parties in the CEC were expected to vote on the initiative today. In an interview for the paper, Bosch said, “the idea to recount all votes even when there is no apparent reason for this, goes against election practices and will only add confusion to the process. Based on my experience from different election processes, I can say that this has not been the practice in any other country in the world”. Bosch also said that the recount of vote would undermine the role of municipal election commissioners who count and summarize election results in their jurisdictions. “Many observers are involved in this and they will follow the process up close, therefore it is important to give election mechanisms the chance to do their work in the best way possible. Votes should be recounted only if it is concluded that there were irregularities during the vote count,” Bosch added.

Serbs divided over participation in elections (Zeri/Tribuna)

Kosovo Serb political representatives are divided over participation in the 8 June parliamentary elections. Serb politicians in northern Kosovo are threatening to boycott the elections if the Central Election Committee (CEC) does not remove the logo of the “state of Kosovo” from voting ballots. On the other hand, other Serb political representatives say they will continue their election campaigns and participate in the elections regardless of the decision by the Serbian List. CEC officials told the paper they would not remove the logo from the ballot and this is their final position. Nemanja Jaksic, a Serb politician from northern Kosovo, said, “We have already announced that the four northern municipalities have ceased their election campaigns, because we don’t want the logo of the ‘Republic of Kosovo’ on the ballot. We want the ballots to be changed; otherwise we will not take part in elections”. Slavisa Petkovic, a former minister in the Kosovo government, said his party, the Democratic Movement for Prosperity, will not boycott the elections. “The Brussels agreement is very clear about this. Point 11 notes that participation in elections occurs in accordance with the laws and constitution of Kosovo. Therefore, the design of the ballot is not important. The warning coming from the Serbian List is a clear indicator of its future actions in the Assembly of Kosovo. Their action will be a setback for all processes,” Petkovic said. Tribuna reports on the front page that Marko Jaksic, the former leader of parallel structures in northern Kosovo, criticized the latest warning coming from the Serbian List saying that the latter is “trying to score small political points”. “In the end however, they will accept anything that Pristina and Brussels say,” Jaksic said. Meanwhile, Belgrade-based political analyst Dusan Janjic said he expects Belgrade to instruct Serbs as soon as possible to participate in Kosovo’s parliamentary elections.

Right-wing victories in European Parliament worry Kosovo (Epoka e Re)

Ulrike Lunacek, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Kosovo, said on Thursday that the victory of ring-wing parties in the European Parliament has caused concern among liberal parties. Lunacek said the victories could work against the process of enlargement, especially for the Western Balkans and Kosovo. “The growth of several right-wing parties and some populist and extremist parties is worrying for those of us who want the process of EU enlargement to continue,” Lunacek said. She called on Kosovo politicians not to campaign for visa liberalization, and for the 8 June elections to be democratic.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo diplomas (Epoka e Re)

Serbia does not recognize diplomas from Kosovo, despite the fact that this is the easiest way for Albanians from Presevo Valley in Serbia to study. The Constitutional Court of Serbia has given its opinion regarding the agreement reached in Brussels and proclaimed the agreement to be anti-constitutional. The opinion of the court is not in force yet. However, Albanian politicians from the Valley stated that many families have invested in the education of their children but they remain unemployed. “It is a form of pressure on youth and a moderated form of persecution that could lead to an Albanian brain drain in the Presevo Valley,” said the mayor of this municipality, Ragmi Mustafa.

Kosovo Diplomatic Academy signs agreement with Marshall Center (Lajm)

Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj and Lt. Gen. (ret) Keith W. Dayton, Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, signed on Thursday a cooperation agreement between the Center and the Kosovo Diplomatic Academy. Hoxhaj said the signing of the agreement was very important as it will provide assistance in the area of human capacity building and strengthen Kosovo’s diplomacy.