Kosovo: Voting For Independence

P R I S T I N A, Yugoslavia, Oct. 28, 2000 -- 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

“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.

Disorganized Polls

Only three parties stand a realistic chance to win substantialrepresentation in the local councils: those headed by Rugova, Thaciand Ramush Haradinaj, another former leader of the rebel KosovoLiberation Army.

Turnout was reported as being heavy today, and U.N. officials saidthey might have to extend the voting hours to accommodate everyonewho wanted to vote.

But such enthusiasm did not extend to the Serb community, whichfeels its very existence threatened because NATO has been unable tostop attacks on Serbs by ethnic Albanian militants. A key Serbleader, Oliver Ivanovic, complained the elections are “not at alldemocratic” because Serbs and other non-Albanians “don’t haveconditions to live safely, let alone vote.”

Only a few, minor incidents were reported, most reflecting voterfrustration over the slow pace of the balloting. The process wasoften chaotic, despite months of preparation by the United Nationsand the OSCE, Europe’s leading security organization.

Many voters — including the wife of the province’s best-knownmoderate leader Ibrahim Rugova — were turned away because theirnames were not on rolls, although they insisted they had registeredbefore the deadline.

In Pristina, multiple precincts were often set up within asingle school building. Voters stood for hours in lines, only to betold they should have been in another line leading to anotherclassroom. No signs were available to channel people to the rightlines.

Elderly people, many of them barely literate, could not figureout the complicated ballot. OSCE complained that many of its ethnicAlbanian precinct staff showed up late for the 7 a.m. opening.

“This is bad organization,” complained Xhevat Nurboja, 58,whose name was not on the registration rolls. “I registered but Icannot vote. I don’t know what I should do.”

“Our staff simply did not show up to work in some locations,”said the American election chief of OSCE, Jeff Fischer.

Nonetheless, U.N. provincial administrator Bernard Kouchner saidhe was satisfied.

“I am very happy,” Kouchner said. “I met with a lot ofpeople. They voted for the first time in their life in free anddemocratic conditions.”

Belgrade Citizens Unconcerned

In the late 1980s and 1990s, as Serb repression hereintensified, a growing number of ethnic Albanians began agitatingfor full independence. Milosevic responded in 1998 with a massivecrackdown, killing thousands of ethnic Albanians and triggering the78-day NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia.

The bombing ended in June 1999 under an agreement in whichYugoslav forces left the province and handed it over to the UnitedNations and a NATO-led peacekeeping force.

In Belgrade today, many people appeared uninterested inKosovo’s election. That may represent a sign that many Serbs haveabandoned hope of regaining the province.

Stanislav Lukic, who moved from Kosovo to Belgrade three yearsago, said the Americans and Western Europeans “wanted us out ofKosovo, they wanted to run the show, so let them deal with theproblems.”

Asked about the Kosovo Serb boycott, Lukic replied: “They arejust a handful of desperate people.”