Kosovo's election hailed a huge success
Counting started as soon as the polls closed. (Lubomir Kotek/OSCE) Photo details
PRISTINA, 17 November 2001 - After more than 12 hours of voting, Kosovo's Assembly election wrapped up Saturday night with words of praise for Kosovo's people.
"This has been a great success," said Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Daan Everts. "The massive turnout and orderly behaviour is a testimony to Kosovo's democratic maturity. Now we need to see that maturity continue with everyone respecting the outcome of this historic event.
"The only thing which marred what was a glorious day in Kosovo's history was that some Serbs in the north of Kosovo were too intimidated by other people in their own community to come out and vote."
The polls opened at 07:00 and closed at 19:00; people who were already in line at the close of polls were still allowed to cast their ballot.
Voting took place across Kosovo, where turnout was high, as well as in Serbia and Montenegro. As many as 36,000 voters were eligible to vote by mail.
The average turnout with 75 percent of polling stations reporting within Kosovo was 63 percent - but this figure changed when it was broken into ethnic categories; in the Kosovo Albanian areas the turnout was 65 percent while in areas where the Serbian community lives it was 46 percent. This latter figure was due to the very low turnout in north Kosovo; many people there were discouraged from voting by anti election militants who intimidated voters into abstention. In contrast, in Serbia proper 57 percent, and Montenegro 56 percent, of the electorate came to the polls.
Counting started as soon as the polls closed in polling stations in Kosovo; ballots from Serbia and Montenegro are immediately being taken under escort to Belgrade and then will be brought to Kosovo, again under escort, on Sunday morning.
Staff at the central Counting and Result Centre will be starting work at 19:00, counting the thousands of special needs votes, which were cast in prisons, hospitals and people's homes across Kosovo for the last two and a half weeks. They will also be counting the first out of Kosovo ballots which were shipped to Kosovo on Friday.
The preliminary result will be announced on Monday evening.
"This has been a great success," said Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Daan Everts. "The massive turnout and orderly behaviour is a testimony to Kosovo's democratic maturity. Now we need to see that maturity continue with everyone respecting the outcome of this historic event.
"The only thing which marred what was a glorious day in Kosovo's history was that some Serbs in the north of Kosovo were too intimidated by other people in their own community to come out and vote."
The polls opened at 07:00 and closed at 19:00; people who were already in line at the close of polls were still allowed to cast their ballot.
Voting took place across Kosovo, where turnout was high, as well as in Serbia and Montenegro. As many as 36,000 voters were eligible to vote by mail.
The average turnout with 75 percent of polling stations reporting within Kosovo was 63 percent - but this figure changed when it was broken into ethnic categories; in the Kosovo Albanian areas the turnout was 65 percent while in areas where the Serbian community lives it was 46 percent. This latter figure was due to the very low turnout in north Kosovo; many people there were discouraged from voting by anti election militants who intimidated voters into abstention. In contrast, in Serbia proper 57 percent, and Montenegro 56 percent, of the electorate came to the polls.
Counting started as soon as the polls closed in polling stations in Kosovo; ballots from Serbia and Montenegro are immediately being taken under escort to Belgrade and then will be brought to Kosovo, again under escort, on Sunday morning.
Staff at the central Counting and Result Centre will be starting work at 19:00, counting the thousands of special needs votes, which were cast in prisons, hospitals and people's homes across Kosovo for the last two and a half weeks. They will also be counting the first out of Kosovo ballots which were shipped to Kosovo on Friday.
The preliminary result will be announced on Monday evening.