PI Guide: Chowing down at the house of pork. PAGE 12 June 20-July 3, 2014 l #137 l Price 1€ Prishtina Power down: Tech agenda: Why it’s time to pull Digital challenges plug on Kosovo A. for next government. Insight PAGE 2 PAGE 16 WHO WILL IT BE? Kosovo braces for a rough ride as Thaci and Haradinaj jockey to lead country. PAGE 5 Villages back their native sons. PAGE 10 Culture: Albania’s broken-hearted friend. PAGE 14 PageTwo2 n June 20-July 3, 2014 n Prishtina Insight How Kosovo powers itself The June 6 explosion at the Kosovo A power plant was a tragic reminder that the country has major energy problems. Most of the country’s power comes the coal burned at Kosovo A and B. A tiny portion comes from hydropower. Together they struggle to meet demand. Furthermore, some 40 per cent of power generated or imported into the country disappears through a combination of illegal connections and losses through transmission and distribution. Ironically, in 2013 Kosovo was a net exporter of energy, even though many consumers still face regular blackouts. 2013 from the editor Time to pull the plug on Kosovo A INTERNALLY GENERATED POWER Kosovo A was an accident waiting to decommissioning of Kosovo A has happen. been pinned to the construction of a Kosovo A and B power plants: 6,248.3 GWh Back in 2009, a European Com- new power plant, Kosova e Re, to limit mission report noted that working electricity disruptions. But Kosovo e Ujmani hydropower plant: 136.7 GWh at the coal power plant “is actually Re exists merely on paper, and it’s quite dangerous” with “high health unclear when – or perhaps even if – it Total: 6,386 GWh and safety risks for the operators and will be built. for the maintenance workers due to The more immediate concern breakdown of plant systems and should be shutting down Kosovo A as structures, neglected maintenance soon as possible. The June 6 accident, and poor housekeeping.” regardless of the chain of events the IMportS AND EXportS On June 6, a hydrogen tank precipitated it, was a consequence of exploded at Kosovo A, killing two continuing to operate an antiquated, Imports: 521.7 GWh workers. It briefly captivated the na- unreliable power plant. It’s also not tion, only supplanted by the national the first deadly accident. A worker elections two days later. was killed in an explosion in 2008. Exports: 856.9 GWh Kosovo A is the oldest and The accident also undermines smallest of two power stations the case for keeping the plant on- Net: -335.2 GWh that supply more than 90 percent line. The 2009 EU report noted that of the the country’s electricity. Its a severe accident or failure could first unit went knock the plant offline for a year and into operation cost Kosovo up to 174 million euro in in 1962, form- emergency energy imports. DISTRIBUTION ing the foun- This leaves a much more sensible dation of what alternative: A rapid but manageable Total supplied: 6048.8 GWh the World Bank Nate decommissioning of Kosovo A, along called “the with properly negotiated energy im- Total billed consumption: 3705.7 GWh worst single- Tabak ports that’s price is far more competi- Editor-in-Chief point source tive than what the power distributor, of pollution in KEDS, paid for emergency power in Energy losses: -2343.1 GWh Europe.” the wake of the recent accident. The power station’s days are Ultimately, a rapid decommis- Source: Kosovo Statistics Agency numbered. But the big question is sioning would not be a perfect solu- when exactly will it be decommis- tion. Power bills could rise along with Prishtina Balkan Investigative Reporting Network • sioned? The government has said the frequency of blackouts. But in Insight Mensa e Studenteve, first floor, 10000, Prishtina, Kosovo it plans to do this by 2017 to meet exchange, the country would be rid- • PHONE: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 • EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Nate Kosovo’s obligations to the Energy ding itself an unpredictable, highly Tabak •STAFF: Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, Edona Peci, Petrit Collaku, Community Treaty. polluting time bomb that could cost Parim Olluri, Nektar Zogjani and Arijeta Lajka. • DESIGN: Trembelat • Prishtina There is reason however to be the country in human lives and pre- Insight is supported by the Norwegian Embassy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund skeptical that this will happen. The cious financial resources. and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. Prishtina Insight n June 20-July 3, 2014 n 3 • Coppy / Print / Scan • 20 ppm • ARDF • Coppy / Print / Scan • Duplex • 28 ppm / Color / B&W • Bypass • ARDF • Network • Duplex • Bypass • Network 4 n June 20-July 3, 2014 n Prishtina Insight It’s hip not to be square (or a rectangle). Let PI design an ad to meet your needs. [email protected] Prishtina Insight n June 20-July 3, 2014 n 5 Elections 2014 Rambo vs. Snake Wartime allies turned political rivals Ramush Haradinaj and Hashim Thaci are vying to lead the next government. But with election results not yet final – and the possibility of recounts and a constitutional fight – it’s unclear who will wind up on top. CONTINUES ON PAGE 6 6 n June 20-July 3, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Elections 2014 Elections results hang WHERE in balance THEY LeaD With votes still being counted and the possibility of court challenges, it has yet to become clear who will lead the next government. 36 SEATS By Valerie Hopkins and Arijeta Lajka “Whatever the PDK results, the 30.7% Kosovo’s future is sitting in government 31 SEATS will be weak.” a warehouse in Fushe Kosove. LDK That’s where the 734,000 ballots — Leon 25.7% 16 SEATS cast in the June 8 election are be- Malazogu, ing counted, recounted, audited analyst. and stored under the watchful VV eyes of international and domes- 13.5% 11 SEATS tic observers. In the counting center, little AAK dramas are being played out each 9.6% 6 SEATS day as Kosovo comes closer to tab- ulating the final results, and some NISMA observers are creating teapot tem- 5.2% 0 SEATS pests: they stormed out on Tues- day over allegations that postal ballots of the United Serb List had AKR 4.6% been falsified, and the counting 9 SEATS stopped. One hour later they were back. SERBIAN LIST The election itself saw a mas- 4.1% sive improvement on the wide- spread problems – including in- stances of brazen voter fraud – that Preliminary results reveal a country that is marred Kosovo’s first general elec- politically fragmented both in raw votes and tions since independence, in 2010. geographically. This map colors municipalities Nevertheless, there are signs that according to the leading political party. Parties the coming weeks will be turbulent for this young democracy. hold majorities in just 11 of 38 municipalities. The composition of the new government—and potentially its first since independence without Hashim Thaci as Prime Minister—is uncertain, thanks to varying inter- pretations of the constitution and the possibility that the final results CONTINUES ON PAGE 8 Prishtina Insight n June 20-July 3, 2014 n 7 +20% +35% +50% DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE OF KOSOVO DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF KOSOVO SERBIAN LIST NISMA ALLIANCE FOR THE FUTURE OF KOSOVO TURKISH DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF KOSOVO Novo Brdo Serbian List - 45.35% Kamenica Obiliq PDK - 26.36% PDK - 31.09% Klina Partes PDK- 38.44% Srpska Lista - 74.95% Klokot Decan Peja Shtime Serbian List - 47.90% AAK - 51.19% LDK - 30.01% PDK - 48.22% Leposavic Dragash Podujeve Skenderaj Serbian List - 86.04% PDK - 31.36% LDK - 42.73% PDK- 90.90% Lipjan Ferizaj Gracanica Prishtina Suhareke PDK - 34.22% LDK - 33.27% Serbian List - 68.17% LDK - 35.87% LDK - 34.01% Malisheve Fushe Kosove Hani i Elezit Prizren Viti Nisma - 41.17% LDK - 34.61% PDK - 29.80% PDK - 30.14% LDK - 33.68% Mamusha Gjakova Istog Rahovec Vushtrri KTAP - 59.59% AAK - 27.16% LDK - 43.75% PDK - 40.45% PDK - 38.83% North Mitrovica Gjilan Junik Ranilug Zubin Potok Serbian List - 49.46% LDK - 30.42% AAK - 41.10% Serbian List - 80.35% Serbian List - 64.12% South Mitrovica Gllogovc Kacanik Strpce Zvecan PDK - 45.77% PDK - 78.56% PDK - 40.28% Serbian List - 65.05% Serbian List - 89.14% 8 n June 20-July 3, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Elections 2014 THRESHOLD THRESHOLD THRESHOLD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 ELECTIONS could change the predicted com- factor in whether Prime Minister position of parliament. Hashim Thaci or opposition leader The Central Elections Commis- Ramush Haradinaj leads the next sion has found inconsistencies in government – or if a new govern- vote tallies in about 18 per cent of ment can be formed at all. polling stations and has ordered Around midnight on election recounts there. This is a marked im- day, Thaci’s Democratic Party of provement over 2010, when incon- Kosovo, PDK, declared victory on sistencies were reported in about 30.7 per cent of the votes accord- 40 per cent of polling stations. ing to the preliminary results. The Relatively small changes in Democratic League of Kosovo, vote tallies could have major im- LDK, followed with 25.7 per cent, plications for the formation of the Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) next government. This is because came third with 13.5 per cent, the two parties, Nisma and the New AAK fourth with 9.6 per cent and MANY PatHS Kosovo Alliance, AKR, are hover- newcomer, Nisma, fifth, with 5.2 ing near the 5-per-cent threshold per cent.