UNMIK/PR/1254
PRISTINA – The SRSG today congratulated the CEC, election officials and Kosovo’s residents for conducting peaceful and well-organised elections. “This is a success for the people of Kosovo”, said the SRSG after spending the day touring polling stations throughout Kosovo.
Søren Jessen-Petersen said he was very pleased with the fact that people, young and old alike, went out to cast their votes in a peaceful and calm way. He added that everywhere he went he heard the same message from voters who said they expected that the politicians they voted for would work towards a better future for Kosovo, including jobs, education and safety.
When asked about the low turnout among Kosovo Serbs, the SRSG said that it was important to bear in mind that the parties representing Kosovo Serbs who made the decision to participate at a late stage were left with little time for campaigning. In addition, there had been instances where voters may have been dissuaded from voting. He said he was convinced that many who would have liked to vote did not do so because they were afraid. But he pointed out that there were those who did vote, including some in areas where not a single party had campaigned, and this meant that there would be Kosovo Serb representatives in the assembly. ‘This is the important thing, there will be representatives who will be part of the dialogue, and we will now reach out not only to all voters in all communities who did vote but also to those who wanted to vote but were afraid, because they also share a common interest in the future of Kosovo”.
The SRSG visited polling stations in Prishtinë/Priština, Rahovec/Orahovac, Gjakovë/Đakovica, Deçan/Dečani, Pejë/Peć, Istog/Istok and Mitrovicë/Mitrovica.