Elections in Kosovo

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Parliamentary elections to the Assembly of Kosovo[a] (Albanian: Kuvendi i Kosovës, Serbian Cyrillic: Скупштина Косова, transliterated Skupstina Kosova) have been held four times since 1999 with the latest in December 2010.[1] The Assembly was an institution within the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government' in advance of a decision on the final status of Kosovo. Kosovo, formerly a province of Serbia, came under UN administration in 1999 and unilaterally declared its independence in February 2008. The Assembly elected in 2007 continued in office after the declaration of independence.

Since the Kosovo War, the country has held four parliamentary elections, one every three years, in 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010 respectively. The first two were administered by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the second two monitored by the international community, with the OSCE and other observing groups concluding that these elections were generally fair and free.

Under Kosovo's Constitutional Framework, which established the PISG, elections were to be held every three years for the Assembly. The Assembly then in turn elects a president and prime minister. The Assembly had 120 members elected for a three-year term: 100 members elected by proportional representation, and 20 members representing national minorities (10 Serbian, 4 Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian, 3 Bosniak, 2 Turkish and 1 Gorani). Under the new Constitution of 2008, the guaranteed seats for Serbs and other minorities remains the same, but in addition they may gain extra seats according to their share of the vote. Kosovo has a multi-party system, with numerous parties and the system of proportional representation and guaranteed minority representation means that no one party is likely to have a parliamentary majority. In addition, a minimum number of Ministers were and remain reserved for Serbs and other minorities. The voting age in Kosovo is 18 years old.[2][3]

Parliamentary elections (latest)[]

2021[]

2021 Kosovo elections.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Vetëvendosje438,33550.2858+29
Democratic Party of Kosovo148,28517.0119–5
Democratic League of Kosovo110,98512.7315–15
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo62,1117.128–5
Serb List44,4075.09100
Social Democratic Initiative21,9972.520–4
Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo6,4960.7520
Vakat Coalition5,3660.621–1
New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo3,3050.3810
3,1720.361New
New Democratic Party2,8850.3310
Social Democratic Union2,5490.291New
Egyptian Liberal Party2,4300.280–1
United Community2,2170.250New
Unique Gorani Party2,1610.2510
Ashkali Party for Integration2,1380.2510
Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo1,9600.2200
Civic Initiatives for Freedom, Justice and Survival1,5080.170New
Our Initiative1,3750.160New
Movement for Integration1,2610.140New
Innovative Turkish Movement Party1,2430.140New
Progressive Movement of Kosovar Roma1,2080.141New
Fjala1,0870.1200
United Roma Party of Kosovo1,0740.120–1
Coalition Together (GIG–PG)1,0100.1200
Kosovar New Romani Party6000.0700
Serbian Democratic Alliance4760.050New
Albanian National Front Party1550.020New
Total871,796100.001200
Valid votes871,79696.38
Invalid/blank votes32,7563.62
Total votes904,552100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,851,92748.84
Source: CEC, CEC, CEC

Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija[]

According to UNMIK practice, Serbian national referendums and elections for Parliament and President were allowed in Kosovo, but local elections were organized separately by UNMIK and the PISG. In spite of this, Serbia carried out local elections in Kosovo in 2008; these were not recognized by UNMIK.[citation needed]

The Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija is a local government created by the Serbian minority in the Kosovo city of Mitrovica in response to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence.[4] The first elections for the Assembly took place on May 11, 2008[5] to coincide with the 2008 Serbian local elections.

In the Brussels agreement, the government of Serbia agreed to integrate Kosovo Serb political structures into the government of Kosovo.

Composition[]

The seats in the Assembly are divided as follows:

  • Serbian Radical Party – 17
  • Democratic Party of Serbia – 13
  • Socialist Party of Serbia – 4
  • Democratic Party – 3
  • G17 Plus – 1
  • Civic Initiative of Gora – 1
  • Others – 4

DS is boycotting the Assembly for now, stating that it would wait until the new government is formed in Serbia which would then decide whether the Assembly is a good way of promoting the Kosovan Serbs' issues.[6]

International response[]

The elections which are basis for the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija were not recognized by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) or the Republic of Kosovo.[5] The creation of the assembly has been condemned as an act aimed at destabilizing Kosovo by Kosovar president Fatmir Sejdiu, while UNMIK denied that this election was a serious issue as the assembly will not have an operative role.[7]

See also[]

Notes[]

a.   ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 96 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states are said to have recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References[]

  1. ^ "EU and US introduce Kosovo resolution". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  2. ^ Kosovo. Youthpolicy.org. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Legal Voting Age by Country". WorldAtlas. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Serbs form rival Kosovo assembly". BBC News. 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Kosovo Serbs launch new assembly". BBC News. 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  6. ^ "Serb Democrats not to Attend Kosovo Session". Balkan Insight. 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-06-29.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Kosovo Serbs convene parliament; Pristina, international authorities object". Southeast European Times. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-07-01.

External links[]

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