Head of OSCE Mission to Serbia encourages active participation in National Minority Council elections

BELGRADE, 8 February 2010 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Dimitrios Kypreos, today urged Serbia's national minority communities to register for and vote in elections to National Minority Councils to help ensure broad representation and the legitimacy of the Councils.

"Broad representation is crucial and I therefore strongly encourage national minorities to actively participate in the registration and voting process," Kypreos said. "A high turnout will enable the Councils to properly serve the cultural, linguistic and educational needs of each community in accordance with European standards."

He particularly called on the local Albanian community, which is to elect its Council for the first time, to register in sufficient numbers for direct elections of the Council. Eligible voters must register by 9 March to participate in the direct elections for the newly formed Councils.

"Given the importance of integration of the ethnic Albanian minority into Serbia's social and political life, direct elections of the Council would be the most appropriate option," he added.

Kypreos commended the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights' for organizing the elections, saying they contributed to efforts to create a legal and institutional framework for realizing minority self-governance rights in the areas of culture, education, information and official use of minority languages.