KOSOVO: REFERENDUM ON SERB CONSTITUTION PROCEEDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000905

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: REFERENDUM ON SERB CONSTITUTION PROCEEDS
QUIETLY AND WITHOUT INCIDENT


Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Polling in the October 28-29 referendum on
the new Serbian constitution proceeded peacefully throughout
Kosovo. The Belgrade-based Center for Free Elections and
Democracy (CESID) reported after the polls closed that 90,036
voters in Kosovo (90.1 percent of the estimated 101,546
Kosovo Serbs eligible to vote) turned out. Mobile teams from
USOP and OSCE observed polling from a distance in the three
northern municipalities, northern Mitrovica and Serb enclaves
in the south. Despite attempts by Serb hard-liner Rada
Trajkovic and Albanian activist Albin Kurti to make things
interesting, there were no major reports of any
referendum-related violence or disturbances. Despite UNMIK's
denial of the request of Nenad Popovic, the organizer of
polling in Kosovo, for an escort for him and Serbian
journalists to visit polling stations, Popovic was reportedly
able to move freely throughout Kosovo to observe the conduct
of the voting. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) The referendum on the new Serbian constitution
proceeded peacefully across Kosovo, with an unconfirmed
report by the Belgrade-based Center for Free Elections and
Democracy (CESID) of a 90.1 percent turnout among Kosovo Serb
voters eligible to vote. UNMIK, the OSCE and KFOR all
reported no problems during the voting held October 28 and

29. USOP officers visited majority Serb areas of northern
Mitrovica and the municipalities of Leposavic, Zvecan and
Zubin Potok, as well as southern Serb enclaves in Gracanica,
Lipljan, Novo Brdo, Strpce, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Prizren,
Kamenica, Gjilan, Viti, Klina, Istog and Peja. They avoided
entering polling stations, simply checking in with local OSCE
representatives who also observed the voting, KFOR and UNMIK
police and noted movement on the roads and towns. (Note:
Representatives from the Pristina-based EU Monitoring Mission
were notably more intrusive in their observation effort. We
saw their vehicles parked in front of polling stations in
Kamenica and Gjilan. End Note.).


3. (SBU) Our teams uniformly observed little activity over
the two days, never seeing more than a handful of voters at
any one time entering or leaving the polling stations.
Turnout appeared to have been slightly higher on October 29,
which some OSCE representatives attributed to the fact that
elections in the past have generally been held on Sundays.
Voting in rural areas may have also occurred early (polls
opened both days at 0700) before people attended church or
started daily work on their farms. Our team in southeast
Kosovo observed more harvesting of crops and tending of
livestock than interest in the referendum. While there were
Serbian flags displayed at all polling stations and many
posters hung nearby, the number of both was markedly greater
in majority Serb areas in northern Kosovo.


4. (SBU) The Kosovo Self-Determination Movement (SDM) held
several small anti-referendum rallies October 28 in
Ferizaj/Urosevac, Gjilan and Rahovec/Orahovac. SDM leader
Albin Kurti led the rally in Rahovec, which took place in the
lower, ethnic Albanian section of town. According to UNMIK
sources, Serb National Council Deputy President Rada
Trajkovic turned the voting into a political demonstration
when she brought an estimated 200 colleagues from the small
hospital she runs in Gracanica to the polling station at a
local school. The hospital is part of Belgrade's parallel
health and education system in ethnic Serb areas.


5. (C) UNMIK SRSG Ruecker also informed us on October 27 that
UNMIK had denied the request by Coordination Center for
Kosovo and Metohija deputy chief Nenad Popovic for an escort
to accompany him and a group of Serb journalists who wanted
to travel throughout Kosovo to observe the polling. (Note:
Popovic was responsible for organizing the conduct of the
referendum voting in Kosovo. End Note.). According to
UNMIK, Popovic did travel throughout northern Kosovo on
October 28 and to southern enclaves on October 29 without
incident.

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6. (C) COMMENT: Kosovo Albanians did the sensible thing and
mostly ignored the conduct of the Serbian referendum,
preferring to focus on the settlement process instead. Other
issues also helped to distract the Kosovars: the ongoing
Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) internal election process,
which intensified over the weekend, and a brewing dispute
between the LDK and the opposition in the Kosovo Assembly
which spilled into the open late October 27 (reported
septel). Regardless, the quiet reaction to the referendum
was a welcome sign that the Albanians continue to place their
faith in the Ahtisaari process. END COMMENT.


7. (SBU) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable in its
entirety for release to U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW