Envoy Certifies Kosovo Election

Senior UN Envoy Certifies Election Results in Kosovo

New York, Dec 5 2007 3:00PM

The top United Nations envoy to Kosovo today certified election results for the Assembly of the Serbian province where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by about nine to one.

“I am pleased that the process is moving forward in a peaceful atmosphere which shows the maturity of the Kosovo people and the political parties,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Joachim Rücker said.

The elections were held on 17 November, when voters also participated in municipal ballots and – for the first time – directly elected a mayor for each of Kosovo’s 30 municipalities.

Mr. Rücker also announced that 8 December will be the date for mayoral run-off elections.

Earlier this year Belgrade and Pristina held direct negotiations on the future status of Kosovo. This followed a report from the UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in which he proposed a phased process of independence for Kosovo.

The UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), which Mr. Rücker heads, has administered the province since 1999, when Western forces drove out Yugoslav troops amid inter-ethnic fighting.

ENDS

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