Kosovan parliamentary election, 2007

Parliamentary elections to the unicameral Assembly of Kosovo ( _sq. Kuvendi i Kosovës, Serbian: _sr. Скупштина Косова, transliterated _sr. "Skupština Kosova") were held on 17 November 2007, together with municipal elections. The Assembly of Kosovo is the legislative branch of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) created to help administration in Kosovo. The elections were scheduled by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Joachim Rücker (head of the UNMIK) on 1 September 2007. [cite web | title = Al Jazeera English - News - Un Announces Kosovo Elections | url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/31D64436-2C1B-48DD-B945-6BCACB2388EC.htm | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ]

Municipal elections in Kosovo were held at the same day as the parliamentary elections.

Main contenders

According to a poll from late October 2007, the most popular parties are Hashim Thaçi's Democratic Party of Kosovo with 31% and the Democratic League of Kosovo with 29%; they are followed by Behgjet Pacolli's New Kosovo Alliance, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo of ICTY indictee Ramush Haradinaj, the Democratic League of Dardania and the Reformist Party ORA. [cite web | title = B92 - News - Politics - Thaci party leads in polls ahead of Kosovo vote | url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=07&nav_id=45184 | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ]

It is still unknown whether the Serbs and other minorities will again boycott the election. President of Serbia Boris Tadić has stated that it is their own personal freedom of choice while Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica said that the conditions for Serbs' reintegration haven't been fulfilled and will likely call for boycott. 64 lists had initially registered for the election, of which thirty [http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=13&nav_id=45362 Partial Serb participation in Kosovo vote] B92, 13 November 2007] were Kosovo Serb lists, including: [cite web | title = B92 - News - Politics - 13 Serb lists in Kosovo ballots | url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=09&dd=15&nav_category=93&nav_id=43776 | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ]
*Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija
*Serb Popular Party
*Serb Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija
*Independent Liberal Party
*Serb Popular Party of Kosovo
*New Democracy
*Social Democratic Party of Kosovo
*Serb Kosovo Party
*Union of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija
*Serb National Party
*Serb Kosovo-Metohija Party

For the actual election, there will be 27 lists: eleven Albanian, eight Serbian, two Ashkali, two Bosniak, and one each for the Gorani, Turkish, Egyptian and Romani. [cite web | title = B92 - News - Politics - Thaci: West will recognize Kosovo independence | url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=12&nav_id=45331 | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ]

Only one Serb party actually ran. Voting stations weren't opened in Serb-populated areas of North Kosovo per the decision of Momir Kasalovic's Serbian National Council of North Kosovo.

Turnout

By 13:00 the turnout was around 30% of the total some 1,500,000 eligible voters.

Head of Central Election Commission, Mazllum Baraliu, said on election day on a day-ending press conference in Pristina that latest estimates put voter turnout at 40-45 %, the lowest since 1999 [cite news | title = EU warns Kosovo on independence | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7101366.stm | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ] . SRSG Joachim Rücker said that also it was less than in 2004 for, the weather was more favourable back then.Fact|date=November 2007

Results

Certified results are expected 4th December 2007 as stated Joachim Rücker after the polls closed on election day in Pristina. The Assembly of Kosovo must then hold its first session within 30 days.

According to the preliminary results for two-thirds of counted votes, the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo of former Kosovo Liberation Army leader Hashim Thaçi leads with 35% over the ruling moderate Democratic League of Kosovo which has so far only 22%. Thaçi has claimed victory of the election. [cite web | title = The article you've requested is no longer available. | url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5goukO2cHh4e7wwpQhpROVZezaT7QD8SVP1JG0 | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ] The Alliance for New Kosovo had 12% and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Dardania had 10% each, while the Reformist Party ORA had only 4%, failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold. [cite web | title = B92 - News - Politics - Thaci declares victory in Kosovo elections | url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=18&nav_id=45499 | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ]

Final results were announced on 2007-12-03:
* Democratic Party of Kosovo - 34.3%, 37 seats (+7)
* Democratic League of Kosovo - 22.6%, 25 seats (–16)
* Alliance for New Kosovo - 12.3%, 13 seats (+13)
* Democratic League of Dardania–Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo - 10.1%, 11 seats (+5)
* Alliance for the Future of Kosovo - 9.6%, 10 seats (+3)
* Reformist Party ORA - 4.1%, no seats (–7)
* Minorities parties - 24 seats (+0)

Of the ten seats reserved for the Serbs, six were won by four parties which decided to form a coalition on 2007-12-05: [cite web | title = B92 - News - Politics - Four Serb parties to enter Kosovo parliament | url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=12&dd=05&nav_id=45942 | accessdate = 2008-02-23 | year = 2008 ] Slaviša Petković's Serb Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija, Dragiša Mirić's Serb Kosovo-Metohija Party, Mihajl Šćepanović's Serb People's Party and Nebojša Živić's Union of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija.

Notes