Brussels, 13/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the EU hailed the “calm and orderly” way in which the first general election in Kosovo, held on 12 December, passed off - despite suspicions of irregularities in two municipalities - and called for a government to be formed and a president elected quickly. “It is important now to rapidly form a new government and to elect a new president so that they can tackle the many challenges ahead,” such as economic reform and the launch of political dialogue with Serbia, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle say in a joint press release published on 13 December. “We have much work ahead of us in the coming year so that Kosovo can further advance towards the EU,” they state. Ashton and Füle urge the Kosovan authorities to certify the results of the voting and to deal with complaints and appeals in line with the relevant laws and regulations.
Although the official result was not expected until Monday evening, outgoing prime minister Hashim Thaçi had already claimed victory for his Kosovo Democratic Party. However, the Kosovo Democratic League of Mayor of Pristina Isa Mustafa also claimed to have topped the poll. In the meantime, the European observation team noted serious irregularities in Srbica and Glogovac, Thaçi strongholds, where turnout was over 90%. “Serious accusations of fraud in two municipalities were made to our delegation,” said MEP Doris Pack. (H.B./transl.rt)