United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the successful conduct of elections for the Assembly of Kosovo and called on the Kosovo authorities to remain committed to strengthening democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights of all in Kosovo.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) commended yesterday’s elections and thanked the people of Kosovo for their valuable contribution to the process. In a statement to the press, the CEC said the counting of ballots is ongoing according to plan. It also thanked the media for continuing to present preliminary results based on CEC data.
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, met on Thursday in Paris with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Laurent Fabius. They discussed current developments in Kosovo and the region. Jahjaga expressed gratitude for France’s continuous support to Kosovo. She spoke about the significant steps Kosovo has taken vis-à-vis European integration, especially through the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, and added that it is important for the people of Kosovo to conclude the visa liberalization process as soon as possible.
The Head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Valdete Daka, stated on Wednesday that the election campaigns are flowing normally. She added that representatives of the political parties have presented their governing programmes and they excluded aggressive vocabulary. She expressed optimism that Sunday’s elections would be held in a democratic spirit. She added that there are no indications that a repeat of what happened in the November 2013 elections will occur again in the north. She said that the preliminary results for the 8 June elections will be published live through K-VOTE.
The outgoing Minister of Interior, Bajram Rexhepi, stated in an interview for this daily that all parties are aware that holding free, fair and democratic elections, according to European standards, is in the nation’s interest, as assessment of the elections will have an impact on visa liberalization and European integration. “We have already made all the preparations for the early general elections.
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.
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.
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Kosovo, Ian Cliff, stated that the barricade at the Ibër/Ibar River is unfortunately becoming a tourist attraction as many visitors from the UK and other countries want to see it and take pictures there. But he added that, for the people in the north, the barricade is a psychological issue as well. He said the barricade should be removed and that people should be able to return to their properties, wherever they are.
The Grand Duke of Luxemburg visited Kosovo on Wednesday, and during his meetings with President Atifete Jahjaga and Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, he stated that Kosovo has achieved significant progress over the last few years. He added that his country is proud of the assistance it gave to Kosovo. President Jahjaga expressed gratitude to the Grand Duke for his country’s help on Kosovo’s integration process and continuing support for the EU’s enlargement policy in the region.