SERBIA: ALBANIANS ON NATIONAL BALLOT

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SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PBTS PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: ALBANIANS ON NATIONAL BALLOT

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SUMMARY
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1. Ethnic Albanian parties from southern Serbia gathered enough
signatures to put them on Serbia's May 11 parliamentary ballot.
Albanian participation had been at risk after the Serbian
authorities increased the number of signatures necessary for
minority party registration from 3,000 to 10,000. In the end
they were able to collect the requisite number of signatures
only with the assistance of NGOs and other parties. Clear USG
messages and pressure from Pristina and Tirana were critical in
encouraging electorate participation and, apparently, averting a
boycott. With Kosovo independence as a backdrop, Albanian
participation in Serbia's elections is a significant
accomplishment. End Summary.



Albanians on Ballot (With Help)

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2. The Coalition of Presevo Valley Albanians from southern
Serbia gathered more than the requisite 10,000 signatures and
will appear on the ballot in the May 11 parliamentary elections.
This was a remarkable accomplishment, considering the
government more than tripled the signature requirement from
3,000 in the 2007 elections. The coalition, led by incumbent
Member of Parliament Riza Halimi (Party for Democratic Action --
PVD),received significant support from NGOs, ethnic Hungarians
and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The U.S. NGO National
Democratic Institute (NDI),in particular, assisted the
Coalition's outreach and logistical efforts to collect the large
number of signatures. On April 23, two NGOs, Civic Initiatives
and Center for Cultural Decontamination, sponsored a
Belgrade-based initiative to collect signatures. Halimi
confirmed to poloff on April 25 that the Coalition had secured
placement on the national ballot and conveyed his thanks to the
Embassy and U.S.-assistance partners for their "valuable
support."



Broad Coalition, No Boycott

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3. The Coalition includes members of all major Albanian
parties, and even those not on the list said they would not
boycott the effort. Halimi leads the list and outgoing
Bujanovac Mayor Nagip Arifi (PVD) is second. In a reversal from
2007 elections, hardliner Jonuz Musliu (Movement for Democratic
Progress -- LPD) is participating. Presevo Mayor Ragmi
Mustafa's Party for Democratic Albanians (PDSh) is not part of
the coalition but assured the Ambassador on April 8 that his
party would not boycott the elections. In fact, a splinter
group of the PDSh in Presevo led by party rival Nasir Aziri has
joined the Coalition. Skender Destani, who ran with Halimi in
2007, is not in the coalition but has called on Albanians to
vote for the list. An OSCE official in Bujanovac, Shera Abdili,
told poloff on April 29 that locals "were now focused on local
elections" and there was "no sense" of opposition to the
national list. In addition, Abdili said, concurrent local
elections will boost participation by Presevo Valley Albanians.



"Critical" Pressure

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4. Public and private messages to participate from Albania,
Kosovo, and the United States made a difference. OSCE
Representative in Southern Serbia Martin Brooks told poloff on
April 29 that Kosovo Albanian Ramush Haradinaj's influence was
"critical" to Musliu and other hardliners' decision to
participate -- or at least not boycott. Musliu's decision to
join the list followed his meeting with Haradinaj in Pristina
and Haradinaj's April 15 public comments urging Presevo Valley
Albanians to participate. Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha

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on April 1 called publicly for participation. The Ambassador
made support for Albanians' participation in Serbian elections a
central theme of his public and private messages during his
April 8-9 visit to Presevo and Bujanovac.



COMMENT

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5. This is a major success for multi-ethnic democracy in Serbia
in the face of long odds. Halimi and other moderates had been
concerned that their efforts to get on the national ballot would
prove futile and needlessly divert party resources from local
elections. Instead, Halimi now heads a diverse coalition and
improves his standing as the key representative for Presevo
Valley Albanians in Belgrade and to the international community.
The coalition will likely win one seat and return Halimi to
parliament where he is well respected among his colleagues and
has done a good job representing his constituents. Thanks to
support from Tirana and Pristina -- and the lack of a boycott --
winning two seats is now within reach. End Comment.
BRUSH