UNMIK/PR/1567
PRISTINA - Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) Søren Jessen-Petersen today signed a Determination on the Postponement of the Municipal Elections in Kosovo. The Determination foresees that Municipal Elections scheduled to be held in 2006 shall be postponed for a period not exceeding twelve months. The Municipal Elections shall be held not earlier than three months and no later than six months after the date of a decision by the United Nations Security Council regarding the determination of Kosovo’s future status.
“I have arrived at this decision after careful consideration and taking into account consultations over the last months with political parties, the Status Envoy and international stakeholders,” the SRSG said, “I am convinced that the decision to postpone the elections serves the best interests of all communities in Kosovo. The postponement will allow for the political focus on the status talks to be retained.”
Following the roundtable on municipal elections in April, further consultations were held to discuss expressed concerns, mainly by the major opposition parties that the uncertainty over the timeframe of the status talks could lead to an open-ended postponement of the elections. At the end of the consultations, the SRSG reached the conclusion that such concerns are adequately addressed by the establishment of a concrete timeframe for the postponement.
The necessary legislative action will now be taken to extend the term of office of members of Municipal Assemblies elected in 2002 in accordance with the provisions of the Determination.