Elections in Kosovo

Parliamentary elections to the Assembly of Kosovo ( _sq. Kuvendi i Kosovës, Serbian: _sr. Скупштина Косова, transliterated _sr. Skupstina Kosova) have been held three times since 1999 with the latest in November 2007 ^{[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8e12741a-347d-11dc-8c78-0000779fd2ac.html]} . The Assembly is an institution within the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) established by the United Nations administration in Kosovo to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government' in advance of a decision on the final status of Kosovo. Kosovo, formerly a province of Serbia, has been under UN administration since 1999.

Kosovo has held four elections since the Kosovo War -- municipal elections in 2000 and 2003, and Kosovo-wide elections to the Assembly in 2001, 2004 and 2007. These elections were conducted under international supervision, with the OSCE and other observing groups concluded that these elections were generally fair and free.

Under Kosovo's Constitutional Framework, which established the PISG, elections are to be held every three years for the Assembly. The Assembly then in turn elects a president and prime minister. The Assembly has 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). Kosovo has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.

Latest elections

Past elections

Local elections

Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija

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.Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7455737.stm |title=Serbs form rival Kosovo assembly |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-06-14 |accessdate=2008-06-14] The first elections for the Assembly took place on May 11, 2008Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7478865.stm |title= Kosovo Serbs launch new assembly |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-06-28 |accessdate=2008-06-28]

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.Cite news |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/11396//7478865.stm |title= Serb Democrats not to Attend Kosovo Session |publisher=Balkan Insight |date=2008-06-27 |accessdate=2008-06-29]

International response

The elections which are basis for the assembly were not recognized by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) or the Republic of Kosovo. The creation of the parliament has been condemned as an act aimed at destabilizing Kosovo by Kosovar president Fatmir Sejdiu, while UNMIK has said the creations is not a serious issue because it will not have an operative role.Cite news |url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2008/06/30/feature-01 |title=Kosovo Serbs convene parliament; Pristina, international authorities object |publisher=Southeast European Times |date=2008-06-30 |accessdate=2008-07-01]

References

ee also

* Electoral calendar
* Electoral system

External links

* [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/k/kosovo/ Adam Carr's Election Archive]
* [http://www.parties-and-elections.de/kosovo.html Parties and elections]
* [http://www.osce.org/kosovo/13208.html OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Elections]
* [http://kosovoelections.org/eng/ Kosovo Election Operations 2004]
* [http://www.assembly-kosova.org/?krye=home&lang=en Assembly of Kosovo]