UNMIK/PR/269
Following a briefing by SRSG Bernard Kouchner on his visit to the United Nations Security Council, the Interim Administrative Council today discussed the upcoming electoral campaign and as well as the electoral system for municipal elections.
SRSG Kouchner noted that today is the first anniversary of UNMIK's arrival in Kosovo, and that during the past year, much had been achieved, while a great deal of work lay ahead.
He briefed the IAC on the discussions he held in New York with the Security Council. He noted that he had facilitated the visit of the Serb National Council delegation to the UN, due to the exceptional circumstances in Kosovo in this period and as an initiative to try to keep the SNC in the IAC. The delegation was not allowed to address the Security Council directly but met with current President of the Security Council.
Dr. Kouchner proposed today that the entire four -member IAC go to New York for the next Security Council session on Kosovo.
Today he also thanked the Kosovo Albanian IAC members for their strong statements issued last week on the recent violence against Serbs, and he reminded them that their continued leadership was needed to break the cycle of violence.
He also noted that the draft regulation on municipalities is being finalized and will be introduced to the IAC in the near future. The municipal bodies will be the first interim institutions to be established by elections.
DSRSG Daan Everts distributed the draft Code of Conduct for print media, which will be issued as an annex to the proposed regulation on print media. The IAC will discuss the Code of Conduct at its meeting Friday.
DSRSG Everts briefed the IAC on the latest discussions in the Central Election Commission and Political Parties Consultative Forum on the various options for the electoral system to be used in the fall municipal elections. The CEC and OSCE have recommended a proportional, rather than majority system, as it would enable a greater number of political and minority parties to be represented in the municipal assemblies. It is also the only technically feasible system to be employed by the time of the scheduled elections.
There was a brief discussion on RTK and on time allocations for parties and candidates during the election campaign which will be decided by the CEC. Also touched upon were possible rules for campaign financing and assistance for small parties.