Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PRISTINA687
2007-09-14 14:40:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Pristina
Cable title:  

KOSOVO ELECTIONS: 64 PARTIES, INCLUDING SOME SMALL

Tags:  PGOV KDEM UNMIK YI KV 
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VZCZCXRO7887
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPS #0687/01 2571440
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141440Z SEP 07
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7698
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1278
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHFMISS/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000687 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM UNMIK YI KV
SUBJECT: KOSOVO ELECTIONS: 64 PARTIES, INCLUDING SOME SMALL
SERB PARTIES, SUBMIT CANDIDATE LISTS ON TIME

REF: PRISTINA 668

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000687

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM UNMIK YI KV
SUBJECT: KOSOVO ELECTIONS: 64 PARTIES, INCLUDING SOME SMALL
SERB PARTIES, SUBMIT CANDIDATE LISTS ON TIME

REF: PRISTINA 668

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: After extending the deadline twice, the
Central Elections Commission (CEC) received applications late
September 12 from 64 political parties, coalitions, citizens'
initiatives and independent candidates for the November 17
elections at the central and municipal levels. Albanian
party wrangling over coalitions and candidates continued at a
fever pitch right up to the deadline, with several
late-breaking changes to the lists. A total of eight Serb
political entities - six on the central level, two on the
local level - have registered despite Belgrade's call for a
boycott on September 13. While the northern hardliners will
likely join Belgrade in rejecting Serb participation,
moderates tell us that Serbs need to vote, at least in order
to avoid undesirable participants (such as former Returns
Minister Slavisa Petkovic) from taking office. In a last
minute piece of bad news, the negative Belgrade stance on
Kosovo Serb participation has evidently prompted Serb
moderate Oliver Ivanovic to reconsider his party's engagement
in elections, and he has confirmed to USOP that his party
will not register for central elections. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) The Central Election Commission (CEC) Secretariat
received applications from 50 political entities for
municipal elections and 36 for mayoral elections.
Twenty-five entities applied for the Kosovo Assembly, down
from 32 in the 2004 elections, before the five percent
threshold for Albanian parties was introduced. Party
presidents Fatmir Sejdiu, Ramush Haradinaj, Hashim Thaci, and
Nexhat Daci top the candidates lists of the Democratic League
of Kosovo (LDK),Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK),
Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK),and LDK offshoot party, the
Democratic League of Dardania (LDD),respectively.

FIVE PERCENT THRESHOLD INSPIRES COALITIONS


3. (SBU) With the parliamentary threshold set at a

relatively high five percent, both the two largest parties,
LDK and PDK, and the LDD picked up candidates from the
smaller parties. The two current Christian Democratic Party
MPs divided their loyalties between the LDK and LDD. LDK
also picked up support from the Albanian National Democratic
Party (PNDSH). Bujar Bukoshi, a former shadow government
Prime Minister who left the LDK years ago to form the New
Party of Kosovo (PREK),returned to the fold. Solo Liberal
Party (PLK) MP Gjergj Dedaj joined the PDK list, as did
Social Democrat (PSDK) Kaqusha Jashari and Democratic
Alternative of Kosovo (ADK, founded by LDK defectors)
president Edita Tahiri.


4. (SBU) After much discussion, the moderate Islamic Justice
Party (PD) did not join forces with wealthy Swiss emigre
businessman Bexhet Pacolli's New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) party
and will likely lose its Assembly seat as a result. Both AKR
and Veton Surroi's ORA party decided to go it alone and did
not join forces with any other political entity, but did run
some civil society figures. Of the E.O.-listed radical
parties and individuals, LKCK is on its own and unlikely to
meet the threshold, but LPK's Emrush Xhemajli joined PDK and
is high on the list. However, ideological cohorts and fringe
PDK MPs Nait Hasani and Hydajet Hyseni are much lower on the
PDK list than in 2004 (#39 and #42 rather than #22 and #13).

SO YOU WANT TO BE A MAYOR?


5. (C) This first direct election of mayors has attracted the
parties' most high-profile members and inspired the ruling
LDK party to do some weeding of its list to stay competitive.
Peja mayor Ali Lajci (LDK),known to us for his unhelpful
behavior regarding the Serb Orthodox Pec Patriarchate in his
municipality, will not run again. And, after much
intra-party debate, the LDK put forward President Sejdiu
adviser Isa Mustafa for Pristina mayor rather than allowing
unpopular Ismet Beqiri to run for another term. PDK's Fatmir

PRISTINA 00000687 002 OF 003


Limaj, a popular figure widely seen as PDK president Hashim
Thaci's chief rival, is also running for Pristina mayor.
Other mayoral highlights include Sami Lushtaku (PDK) for
Skenderaj mayor, Jakup Krasniqi (PDK) for Drenas mayor,
former PDK PM Bajram Rexhepi for Mitrovica mayor, and
respected MP Enver Hoxhaj for mayor of Suhareke. (NOTE: The
LDK has won control of Pristina every year since 1999. If
history is any guide, LDK will take Mitrovica and Suhareke,
but PDK will win in their strongholds of Drenas and
Skenderaj. Lushtaku and Limaj are both E.O.-listed. END
NOTE.) The reformist ORA party put forward popular MPs Teuta
Sahatqija and Gazmend Muhaxherri for mayor of Gjakove and
Peja, respectively.

SOME SERBS IN THE GAME...


6. (SBU) Also by the September 12 deadline, five Serb parties
had thrown their hats into the ring, with a smaller number of
groups also looking to participate at the local level. The
list includes Slobodan Petrovic's Independent Liberal Party
(SLS),Returns Minister Branislav Grbic's New Democracy Party
(ND),Dragisa Miric's Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Party
(SKMS),the newly-formed Alliance of Independent Social
Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija (SNSDKIM),and the Alliance
of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija),led
by former Returns Minister Slavisa Petkovic, who is still
active in politics despite being forced to resign from the
government after he was implicated in an embezzlement
scandal.

...DESPITE DISCOURAGEMENT


7. (C) Belgrade announced its official discouragement of Serb
participation in Kosovo central elections September 13, in a
government statement declaring that "basic conditions for the
safe and free life of Serbs have not been secured" in Kosovo.
Northern hardline leader Marko Jaksic said September 12 that
"Kosovo Serbs should not be interested much in Kosovo local
and parliamentary elections." SNC North leader Milan
Ivanovic told ICO representative James Nunan the same on
September 12, and also noted to UNMIK Mitrovica
representative Gerry Gallucci on the same day that he and
other hardliners would meet "soon" to issue a joint statement
against Serb participation. It does not appear that the
Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) will join the calls for a
boycott; SOC insider Maria Gavric told poloff September 14
that Bishop Artemije, though opposed to elections in
principle, will likely refrain from making any statement on
the subject.

IVANOVIC NOT RUNNING, BUT CONSIDERS PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT


8. (C) Despite his criticism of fellow Serbs who discourage
Serb participation in Kosovo elections - and his statement to
COM September 10 that he would participate "no matter what"
Belgrade says - Oliver Ivanovic announced September 14 that
his party, the Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM),
would not participate. Ivanovic, one of the most
high-profile Kosovo Serb politicians, cited the lack of
support from Belgrade as the deciding factor. Ivanovic told
us that Belgrade's blessing would be important to avoid the
election of "idiots" like former Minister for Returns
Petkovic, a sentiment that has been seconded by many Serbs in
recent days. On September 9, SNC Gracanica head Rada
Trajkovic appeared on Serb media, warning that Serbs would
lose political power in the southern Serb-majority
municipalities of Strpce and Novo Brdo if they boycotted
elections, adding that Kosovo is "not only the northern
municipalities," and that Serbs in the south should have
stronger support from Belgrade.


9. (C) There may have been other factors involved in
Ivanovic's last-minute decision not to participate. Ivanovic
reported that CCK observers monitored his meetings in the
Serb-majority area of Partes (current Gnjilane/Gjilan
municipality) as he was finalizing the SLKM electoral list,
and that a potential candidate in Ranilug had been so

PRISTINA 00000687 003 OF 003


unnerved by Belgrade pressure that he might not run. He also
told us that SLKM Assembly member Vesna Jovanovic was
particularly nervous about her participation due to pressure
from Belgrade.


10. (C) COMMENT: Despite initial grumbling by some Kosovo
Albanian parties about holding elections before resolution of
Kosovo's final status, all have now accepted that central and
municipal elections will happen on November 17 and have
gotten their candidate lists in on time. First-ever open
candidate lists and direct election of mayors have forced the
parties to put forth popular (and hopefully more accountable)
figures on their candidate lists. Regarding Kosovo Serbs,
Oliver Ivanovic's decision not to participate was a
disappointment, but we will continue to encourage Serbs to
participate in the elections in any event. Next steps in the
elections process are the vetting of candidates and the
effort to educate voters on the complicated 5-ballot process.
END COMMENT.
KAIDANOW