Kosovo: Voting For Independence

P R I S T I N A, Yugoslavia, Oct. 28 -- In Kosovo’s first election since the end of Yugoslav rule, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanian residents chose local officials today from among thousands of candidates with a single message — Kosovo demands independence.

The vote illustrated the deep ethnic divides in this Serbianprovince where ethnic Albanians vastly outnumber Serbs. Ethnic Albanians have anticipated the election as a first step toward their dream of independence from the main Yugoslav republic. However, Kosovo’s estimated 80,000 Serbs boycotted the polls, fearing the election would weaken ties to Yugoslavia.

Only 1,000 Serbs registered to vote, compared with more than900,000 ethnic Albanians.

Voters guarded by thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers and U.N.police lined up early today to choose members of municipal councils fromamong more than 5,000 candidates. Each of the 20 political parties— all of them ethnic Albanian — claimed it was best prepared tobring about independence from Yugoslavia. Albanian flags weredisplayed outside most of the polling stations.

Vote For Independence

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“I have come to vote … for Kosovo’s independence,” said67-year-old Adem Ademi, who showed up an hour before the pollsopened to be at the front of the line.

Election officials said preliminary results will not be knownbefore Monday evening, and official results are expected to beannounced in eight to 12 days.

Former rebel leader Hashim Thaci, now head of a leading ethnicAlbanian political party, said he hoped the election would convincethe world that Kosovars can govern themselves and “that Kosovoshould be given the right to independence.”

The United Nations says Kosovo is still a part of Serbia. Thecontradiction between U.N. policy and the aspirations of theoverwhelming majority here illustrates the dilemma facing theUnited States and its allies. They are trying to satisfy the new, democratic government in Belgrade, which wants to keep a strong hold on Kosovo, and the aspirations of the estimated 2million ethnic Albanians here, who still want independence despiteautocratic Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s ouster.