17 Nov. 2001

Legislative elections in Kosovo Counting started as soon as the polls closed. (Photo Lubomir Kotek/OSCE) The legislative elections held in the province of Kosovo on 17 November 2001 were carried out in what Lord Robertson called "a positive climate". The vote elected a provisional assembly of 120 members. It will have powers in areas such as health, education and transport. In a statement on 17 November, Lord Robertson remarked that "these elections represent a remarkable step forward towards normality and give all communities in Kosovo the chance to build a truly democratic, multi-ethnic and prosperous society." The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has reported that there was an overall turn-out of 63% (65% among the Kosovo Albanian community, 46% among the Serb community of Kosovo, and of those eligible to vote in Serbia proper and Montenegro, 57% and 56% respectively). The preliminary results are as follows: 46.29% for the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), led by Ibrahim Rugova; 25.54% for the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), led by Hashim Thaci; 10.96% for the newly created Kosovo Serb political entity, Coalition Return; 7.82% for the third largest Kosovo Albanian political entity, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), led by Haradinaj Ramush. In his statement, Lord Robertson commended the efforts of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK), the OSCE and KFOR soldiers for making these elections possible. Additional information: NATO Press Release (2001)153: Statement by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson - 17 November 2001 NATO Press Release M-NAC-D-1(2001)88: Statement on the situation in the Balkans issued at the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Defence Ministers Session held in Brussels - 7 June 2001