On the front page, the paper quotes a senior official from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) saying that despite accusations from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) during the election campaign, the heads of the two parties had a “harmonious” meeting in February where they decided to head to early elections in June. The paper recalls one of its previous reports when it claimed that the two parties had also agreed at the time on forming a post-election coalition.

The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Tracey Ann Jacobson, commended the way that the people of Kosovo voted yesterday and called for a responsible counting process. Jacobson made the comments after visiting a polling station in Malisheva/Malisevo.

Northern Kosovo has for the first time taken part in parliamentary elections organised by authorities in Pristina, albeit with a relatively low turnout. Elections in the northern municipalities were conducted in a peaceful manner and no incidents were reported. The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Jean-Claude Schlumberger, said he was pleased with the way elections were taking place. The paper also notes that, based on preliminary results, which show the Serbian List received around 2.5 percent, the coalition cannot hope to win more than 10 seats in the next Assembly of Kosovo.

Tirana-based analyst Armand Shkullaku writes that this election campaign will be remembered as a turning point for Kosovo’s new electoral history because economic development dominated over historic divisions and references to the past. The campaign will also be remembered because it until the very last moment it keeps the winner of these elections uncertain. “This time, a betting professional would think hard before opting for a winner”, says Shkullaku.

On its front page, the paper shares the results of a poll which it says was carried out late May by an unnamed company. The poll puts the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) in the lead with 31.2 percent, while the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) follows with 25.5 percent. In third place is Vetevendosje with 14.3 percent while the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) is in fourth with 9 percent. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) is ranked fifth with 8 percent whereas the Initiative for Kosovo is not expected to cross the election threshold and will win no more than 2.5 percent of votes.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved an instruction detailing procedures for allocating seats at the Kosovo Assembly following the 8 June elections. It specifies that there is a possibility for the Serb community to gain more than the 10 reserved seats if their parties manage to win more than 80,000 votes. The same principle also applies for the other minority communities. CEC officials said the formula can be applied correctly only once election results are confirmed.

Forensic teams working at the mass grave in Rudnica, Raska, have so far managed to recover 25 human remains believed to be from Kosovo Albanians who went missing during the 1998-99 conflict. Forensic expert Arsim Gerxhaliu said the exhumations are proceeding at a high speed and explained that a three-member team from Kosovo has been at the site since 23 April. “We are waiting to exhume as many bodies as possible and then send them for DNA tests all at once”, said Gerxhaliu.

Columnist Donik Sallova writes that as the elections are approaching the political discourse of parties is becoming fiercer. He says this election campaign is being characterised by concrete aspects of economic development and improvement of welfare for the citizens and that the outcome will show whether or not a political era that was identified with abuses, economic stagnation and political degradation will come to an end.

The German Ambassador in Kosovo, Peter Blomeyer, spoke about an analysis of the Ljubljana-based International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), which says the international community would like to see war leaders removed in Kosovo. The German Ambassador rejected this analysis, saying that Germany is neutral with regards to who will win the elections. He said, “Germany will support whoever wins. We only request that the elections be democratic,” said Peter Blomeyer.

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.