Thu, Jun 5 2014

By Fatos Bytyci

GJAKOVA Kosovo (Reuters) - Hashim Thaci's "thumbs-up" gesture has become his trademark in election campaigns since he helped lead the guerrilla insurgency to throw off Serbian rule over Kosovo 15 years ago.

The thumbs were on show again this week in the western town of Gjakova, where 46-year-old Thaci was on the campaign trail ahead of an election on Sunday he hopes will give him a third term as prime minister.

Member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Berat Buzhala writes in an opinion piece for Gazeta Express that if the leader of his party, Hashim Thaci, manages to score another victory and beat the largest opposition party, Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), this would be more a defeat of his main rival than an actual victory of Thaci and would represent the end of the rational politics in Kosovo.

Candidates of the "Serbian List" terminated boycott of the election campaign for early parliamentary elections in Kosovo. 

The paper’s editor Lavdim Hamidi recalls promises that new mayors of certain municipalities made before they took office and declares that not only did they not fulfill them but instead of focusing on problems their municipalities have, they are all busy campaigning for their own parties.

Some of them can even be seen on billboards across Kosovo although they are personally not running in these elections, adds Hamidi.

“Belgrade always used to divide Kosovo Serbs” (VOA)
At a debate labeled ‘Belgrade’s attitude toward Kosovo elections – yesterday, today, tomorrow’ held in Media Center in Čaglavica/Çagllavicë, participants said that Belgrade never had a clear stance on Kosovo, neither on Kosovo elections and had always divided Serbs.

KTV’s editor-in-chief Adriatik Kelmendi claims that if candidates running in upcoming elections were really as they portray themselves to be Kosovo would not be in the state it is – one of the least developed countries in Europe.

Kelmendi says that everything seen during this election campaign is easily compared to a beauty contest but warns the voters not to be deceived by the beauty of the promises they are hearing stressing that their memory should be longer than the ten-day campaign.

Following the Serbian government's decision to back the participation of the representatives of the Srpska electoral list in the Kosovo-Metohija legislative elections, a meeting has been held at which the conclusion was made that Serbs in northern Kosovo will heed the government's call to vote in Sunday's elections, the government Office for Kosovo-Metohija said in a statement.

New Democratic Party (NDS) caucus whip in the Serbian Assembly Marko Đurišić stated that decision to call Kosovo Serbs to participate in elections is good.

“I believe that the decision is a good one, even though it is obviously brought in difficult circumstances and despite many opposite justifications. However, I think that history has taught us that any non-participation is worse than participation, even under the unfair conditions,” said Đurišić.

A the meeting between the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and mayors from four municipalities in the north of the province it was concluded that Serbs from the north will answer positively on state’s call to participate in Kosovo elections on 8 June.

Serbs from northern Kosovo will follow the call of the Serbian government on participation in parliamentary elections in Kosovo on 8 June, by which they will contribute to efforts in realization of the national and state interests of Serbia, reads the statement.

Mayor of Leposavic/Leposaviq Dragan Jablanović confirmed on Wednesday that the northern Kosovo Serbs will participate in elections for the Kosovo Assembly, on Sunday, June 8^th.

Dragan Jablanović refused to answer why the mayors of the four municipalities in northern Kosovo changed their decision on participation in Sunday's elections.

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric talked to them yesterday.