Kosovan parliamentary election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections to the unicameral
Assembly
of Kosovo
' onMouseout='HidePop("32710")' href="/topics/Serbian_language">Serbian
: , transliterated
) were held on 17 November 2007, together with municipal elections. The Assembly of Kosovo is the legislative branch of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government
that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK
) created to help administration in Kosovo. The elections were scheduled by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Joachim Rücker
(head of the UNMIK) on 1 September 2007.
Municipal elections
in Kosovo were held at the same day as the parliamentary elections.
's Democratic Party of Kosovo
with 31% and the Democratic League of Kosovo
with 29%; they are followed by Behgjet Pacolli
's New Kosovo Alliance
, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
of ICTY
indictee Ramush Haradinaj
, the Democratic League of Dardania
and the Reformist Party ORA
.
It is still unknown whether the Serbs and other minorities will again boycott the election. President of Serbia Boris Tadić
has stated that it is their own personal freedom of choice while Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica
said that the conditions for Serbs' reintegration haven't been fulfilled and will likely call for boycott. 64 lists had initially registered for the election, of which thirty were Kosovo Serb lists, including:
For the actual election, there will be 27 lists: eleven Albanian, eight Serbian, two Ashkali
, two Bosniak
, and one each for the Gorani, Turkish
, Egyptian and Romani.
Only one Serb party actually ran. Voting stations weren't opened in Serb-populated areas of North Kosovo
per the decision of Momir Kasalovic's Serbian National Council of North Kosovo.
Head of Central Election Commission, Mazllum Baraliu, said on election day on a day-ending press conference in Pristina that latest estimates put voter turnout at 40-45 %, the lowest since 1999. SRSG
Joachim Rücker said that also it was less than in 2004 for, the weather was more favourable back then.
According to the preliminary results for two-thirds of counted votes, the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo
of former Kosovo Liberation Army
leader Hashim Thaçi
leads with 35% over the ruling moderate Democratic League of Kosovo
which has so far only 22%. Thaçi has claimed victory of the election. The Alliance for New Kosovo had 12% and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
and the Democratic League of Dardania
had 10% each, while the Reformist Party ORA
had only 4%, failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold.
Final results were announced on 2007-12-03:
Of the ten seats reserved for the Serbs, six were won by four parties which decided to form a coalition on 2007-12-05: Slaviša Petković's Serb Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija, Dragiša Mirić's Serb Kosovo-Metohija Party, Mihajl Šćepanović's Serb People's Party and Nebojša Živić's Union of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija.
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
Assembly
Assembly of Kosovo
The Assembly of Kosovo was originally established by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in 2001 to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government'....
of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
' onMouseout='HidePop("32710")' href="/topics/Serbian_language">Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: , transliterated
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
) were held on 17 November 2007, together with municipal elections. The Assembly of Kosovo is the legislative branch of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government
Provisional Institutions of Self-Government
The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government or 'PISG' are the local administrative bodies in Kosovo established by the United Nations administration in that province under the terms of UNSCR 1244...
that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo or UNMIK is the interim civilian administration in Kosovo, under the authority of the United Nations. The mission was established on 10 June 1999 by Security Council Resolution 1244...
) created to help administration in Kosovo. The elections were scheduled by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Joachim Rücker
Joachim Rücker
Joachim Rücker is a German international civil servant, since November 2008 serving as the German ambassador to Sweden. He was named Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Kosovo and head of UNMIK from 1 September 2006 to 20 June 2008...
(head of the UNMIK) on 1 September 2007.
Municipal elections
Kosovan local elections, 2007
Municipal elections were held in Kosovo on November 17, 2007, at the same time as elections to the Assembly of Kosovo, with a second round for the mayoral elections held on 2007-12-08...
in Kosovo were held at the same day as the parliamentary elections.
Main contenders
According to a poll from late October 2007, the most popular parties are Hashim ThaçiHashim Thaci
Hashim Thaçi is the Prime Minister of Republic of Kosovo, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo , and former political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army .-Early life and education:...
's Democratic Party of Kosovo
Democratic Party of Kosovo
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
with 31% and the Democratic League of Kosovo
Democratic League of Kosovo
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
with 29%; they are followed by Behgjet Pacolli
Behgjet Pacolli
Behgjet Isa Pacolli is a former President of the Republic of Kosovo, and is now First Deputy Prime Minister serving in the cabinet of Hashim Thaçi...
's New Kosovo Alliance
New Kosovo Alliance
New Kosovo Alliance is a political party in Kosovo which is in the current coalition government made up by the PDK and AKR. The party was founded on 3 May 2006, by Behgjet Pacolli the founding owner of Mabetex,the Swiss based project engineering firm responsible for some of the most significant...
, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is a political party in Kosovo. It was formed on 29 April 2001.- Leadership :The current president of the party is Ramush Haradinaj. In December 2004 the parliament elected him as Prime Minister of Kosovo and he formed a coalition government with the largest...
of ICTY
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
indictee Ramush Haradinaj
Ramush Haradinaj
Ramush Haradinaj is a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army and former prime minister of Kosovo. He leads the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and is among former KLA officers charged of war crimes during the 1999 Kosovo War by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
, the Democratic League of Dardania
Democratic League of Dardania
The Democratic League of Dardania is a newly founded political party in Kosovo. The Democratic League of Dardania was established in January 2007 by the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Nexhat Daci following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo...
and the Reformist Party ORA
Reformist Party ORA
Reformist Party ORA was a social-democratic centre-left political party in Kosovo. The party stood for an independent, free and democratic Kosovo.The party was normally referred to as ORA, which in Albanian means the Hour....
.
It is still unknown whether the Serbs and other minorities will again boycott the election. President of Serbia Boris Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
has stated that it is their own personal freedom of choice while Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
said that the conditions for Serbs' reintegration haven't been fulfilled and will likely call for boycott. 64 lists had initially registered for the election, of which thirty were Kosovo Serb lists, including:
- Serbian List for Kosovo and MetohijaSerbian List for Kosovo and MetohijaThe Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija is a Serbian political party in Kosovo....
- Serb Popular Party
- Serb Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija
- Independent Liberal PartyIndependent Liberal Party (Kosovo)The Independent Liberal Party is a Serbian political party in Kosovo. Chairman of the party is Slobodan Petrović....
- Serb Popular Party of Kosovo
- New DemocracyNew Democracy (Kosovo)New Democracy is a Serbian political party in Kosovo. It was founded on 11 July 2007 by Branislav Grbic. Its priorities are minority and social rights, economic issues and democratic interests....
- Social Democratic Party of KosovoSocial Democratic Party of KosovoThe Social Democratic Party of Kosovo is a political party in the Republic of Kosovo. It was established on the 10th February 1990 and was second political party to be established in the newly pluralist Kosovo.- Leadership :...
- Serb Kosovo Party
- Union of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija
- Serb National Party
- Serb Kosovo-Metohija Party
For the actual election, there will be 27 lists: eleven Albanian, eight Serbian, two Ashkali
Ashkali
In the Balkans, the Ashkali and Egyptians are Albanian-speaking ethnic minorities of Kosovo and Albania. Observers consider them Albanized Romanies, but they do not self-identify as such...
, two Bosniak
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
, and one each for the Gorani, Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, Egyptian and Romani.
Only one Serb party actually ran. Voting stations weren't opened in Serb-populated areas of North Kosovo
North Kosovo
North or Northern Kosovo refers to a region in the northern part of Kosovo with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the disputed territory, which has an ethnic Albanian majority. Ibarian Kolashin , a toponym that pre-dates the political partition, is...
per the decision of Momir Kasalovic's Serbian National Council of North Kosovo.
Turnout
By 13:00 the turnout was around 30% of the total some 1,500,000 eligible voters.Head of Central Election Commission, Mazllum Baraliu, said on election day on a day-ending press conference in Pristina that latest estimates put voter turnout at 40-45 %, the lowest since 1999. SRSG
Special Representative of the Secretary-General
A Special Representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent her/him in meetings with heads of state on critical human rights issues...
Joachim Rücker said that also it was less than in 2004 for, the weather was more favourable back then.
Results
Certified results are expected 4 December 2007 as stated Joachim Rücker after the polls closed on election day in Pristina. The Assembly of Kosovo must then hold its first session within 30 days.According to the preliminary results for two-thirds of counted votes, the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo
Democratic Party of Kosovo
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
of former Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
leader Hashim Thaçi
Hashim Thaci
Hashim Thaçi is the Prime Minister of Republic of Kosovo, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo , and former political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army .-Early life and education:...
leads with 35% over the ruling moderate Democratic League of Kosovo
Democratic League of Kosovo
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
which has so far only 22%. Thaçi has claimed victory of the election. The Alliance for New Kosovo had 12% and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is a political party in Kosovo. It was formed on 29 April 2001.- Leadership :The current president of the party is Ramush Haradinaj. In December 2004 the parliament elected him as Prime Minister of Kosovo and he formed a coalition government with the largest...
and the Democratic League of Dardania
Democratic League of Dardania
The Democratic League of Dardania is a newly founded political party in Kosovo. The Democratic League of Dardania was established in January 2007 by the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Nexhat Daci following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo...
had 10% each, while the Reformist Party ORA
Reformist Party ORA
Reformist Party ORA was a social-democratic centre-left political party in Kosovo. The party stood for an independent, free and democratic Kosovo.The party was normally referred to as ORA, which in Albanian means the Hour....
had only 4%, failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold.
Final results were announced on 2007-12-03:
- Democratic Party of KosovoDemocratic Party of KosovoThe Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
- 34.3%, 37 seats (+7) - Democratic League of KosovoDemocratic League of KosovoThe Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party in Kosovo. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo....
- 22.6%, 25 seats (–16) - Alliance for New Kosovo - 12.3%, 13 seats (+13)
- Democratic League of DardaniaDemocratic League of DardaniaThe Democratic League of Dardania is a newly founded political party in Kosovo. The Democratic League of Dardania was established in January 2007 by the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Nexhat Daci following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo...
–Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo - 10.1%, 11 seats (+5) - Alliance for the Future of KosovoAlliance for the Future of KosovoThe Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is a political party in Kosovo. It was formed on 29 April 2001.- Leadership :The current president of the party is Ramush Haradinaj. In December 2004 the parliament elected him as Prime Minister of Kosovo and he formed a coalition government with the largest...
- 9.6%, 10 seats (+3) - Reformist Party ORAReformist Party ORAReformist Party ORA was a social-democratic centre-left political party in Kosovo. The party stood for an independent, free and democratic Kosovo.The party was normally referred to as ORA, which in Albanian means the Hour....
- 4.1%, no seats (–7) - Minorities parties - 24 seats (+0)
Of the ten seats reserved for the Serbs, six were won by four parties which decided to form a coalition on 2007-12-05: Slaviša Petković's Serb Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija, Dragiša Mirić's Serb Kosovo-Metohija Party, Mihajl Šćepanović's Serb People's Party and Nebojša Živić's Union of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija.