Headlines 6 December
- Runoff elections in Drenas/Glogovac called for 18 December (Koha Ditore)
- PDK’s downfall (Zeri)
- PDK has “understood” Drenas/Glogovac message (Koha Ditore)
- Xhemajlaj: I will win the runoff (Zeri)
- Drenori: I will not support either candidate in Drenas/Glogovac (Epoka e Re)
- Results in Drenas/Glogovac, the will of citizens (Zeri)
- Serbia submits dialing prefix letter to ITU (Koha Ditore)
- Appeals court reduces prison sentence of Slobodan Gavric (dailies)
Kosovo Media Highlights
Runoff elections in Drenas/Glogovac called for 18 December (Koha Ditore)
The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that the second round of early mayoral elections in Drenas/Glogovac will take place on 18 December. According to the head of the CEC, Valdete Daka, the proposal for 18 December was taken so as not to interfere with the upcoming end of the year celebrations. Furthermore, this will enable international observers to take part in the process. “We are interested in having more international observers to give credibility to the second round of voting,” Daka said.
PDK’s downfall (Zeri)
The paper reports in a front page story that the most unfortunate election results since after the war for the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) in Drenas/Glogovac, are considered to negatively affect the upcoming parliamentary elections. This is the first time that a PDK candidate has to run in a second round of elections in Drenas/Glogovac. Poltical analysts do not exclude the possibility that the same scenario that happened in Pristina happens there, and the second candidate wins the runoff race. Compared with the last local elections in 2013, the candidate of PDK has received about 19% less votes than his predecessor Nexhat Demaku. On the other hand, representatives of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), whose candidate will compete in a runoff with PDK’s candidate, say that after this result the party will continue to require even more early elections. According to them, the result indicates that PDK has begun to fade.
PDK has “understood” Drenas/Glogovac message (Koha Ditore)
Following the tied results in the early mayoral elections in Drenas/Glogovac, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Kadri Veseli came out with a statement to the media saying that he has understood the message of the election. “This message requires my clear reflection and in accordance, PDK and I will make joint efforts to make sure that the Democratic Party of Kosovo and Mr.Lladrovci’s victory is a victory for the joint vision with the citizens of Drenas,” said Veseli, adding that they will increase their efforts in the municipality in the coming days.
Xhemajlaj: I will win the runoff (Zeri)
The Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) candidate for mayor in Drenas/Glogovac, Isa Xhemajlaj, told the paper he is convinced he will win the runoff elections against the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) candidate, Ramiz LLadrovci. He said that according to the results, 55% of the citizens are for change, and that he leads the change in this municipality. He announced that he will start discussions with other candidates in order to win their support for the runoff on 18 December.
Drenori: I will not support either candidate in Drenas/Glogovac (Epoka e Re)
The independent candidate for mayor of Drenas/Glogovac, Xhavit Drenori, who gained 12.58% of the votes on Sunday's elections, ranked third after PDK and NISMA, has indicated that he will not support either of the candidates in the runoff. He said that he will not suggest nor impose on his voters who they should vote for on 18 December. He called PDK to reflect on and analyze why they did not win the elections on 4 December. Drenori said that PDK leader Kadri Veseli should claim responsibility for this result. According to him, it was not the will of the PDK branch in Drenas/Glogovac for Ramiz Lladrovci to be PDK’s candidate for mayor in Drenas/Glogovac.
Results in Drenas/Glogovac, the will of citizens (Zeri)
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, through a Facebook post commended the elections in Drenas/Glogovac, saying that the biggest achievement in these mayoral elections was the regularity of the election process. He also said the results express the current will of the citizens. “I commend all the parties and candidates for dignified behavior and the CEC and observers for a successful organizatiation,” Mustafa said.
Serbia submits dialing prefix letter to ITU (Koha Ditore)
Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, told the paper that they received confirmation from Brussels that Serbia has submitted the letter to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) expressing its approval for granting Kosovo a dialing prefix. “The ITU will grant Kosovo the dialing prefix in accordance to the Brussels agreement on telecom and allocates it directly to Kosovo. Kosovo is the owner and Kosovo will administrate the +383 dialing prefix,” Tahiri said.
Appeals court reduces prison sentence of Slobodan Gavric (dailies)
The Appellate Court in Pristina decided to reduce the prison sentence of Slobodan Gavric, convicted of plotting terrorist acts. Gavric will now serve 11 instead of 13 years in prison. The decision, however, was appealed by Gavric, demanding an even lesser sentence or retrial.