123-Year-Old Woman Voted in Kosovo Election
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Opinion: Kosovars Caught in Truman Show Now 24 pages September 17 - 30, 2010 Issue No. 47 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 Dude, Looks NEWS Rugova’s Party at Like George Crossroads Clooney > page 3 Kosovo and Serbia rarely see eye to eye with each other, but the battle between the two coun- tries has now entered NEWS a new phase – whose Albania Complains, leader looks most like Kosovo Continues Hollywood’s official Power Project silver-haired fox, > page 4 George Clooney? BUSINESS See Page 5 Kosovo’s Tax Revenue Drops 123-Year-Old Woman Voted in by 10 per cent > page 6 Kosovo Election CITY Prishtina Insight has uncovered evidence that a 123-year-old woman and a 120-year-old man voted in both rounds of Architects, Artists November’s local elections in Kosovo, raising concerns about electoral abuse of the country’s outdated electoral roll Central Election Commission, tion of 11 NGOs which had more will not be used to update the list. Slam Grand Hotel By Prishtina Insight Team CEC, and Ministry of Internal than 2000 monitors in polling sta- Blerim Camaj, head of the Affairs, to update the electoral roll. tions in November, said that inac- agency for civilian status in the Makeover 123-year-old woman and a Xhemajl Pecani, head of the curacies in the electoral roll were Ministry of Internal Affairs, said 120-year-old man cast votes CEC, told Prishtina Insight that open to abuse. that the ministry was working to > page 8 Ain both rounds of Kosovo’s his organisation was aware of the He said: “The presence of those improve the accuracy of next local elections in November 2009, problem, but they would not be names is due to the non-registra- year’s planned general elections. Prishtina Insight has learnt. pushing for criminal investiga- tion of deceased people and as a He said that the Ministry is According to sources close to the tions against those who fraudu- result of the lack of a campaign to working on creating a digital data- election process the two voters are lently voted on behalf of the cente- encourage people to do so. In our base of all civilian records which considered to be highly suspi- narians. tradition people hesitate to go the will be ready by the end of this cious, as the two individuals He said: “We are aware of dead competent authorities to year and will ensure that all rele- would, if alive, be the world’s old- people being on the voters’ list but announce the death of their family vant documents lodged at the est and second oldest persons. as the country has had continuous members.” municipal level will be included in Research carried out by elections up to recent months not He said the much awaited cen- the electoral roll. Prishtina Insight using the elec- much has been done until now.” sus may help to improve the accu- He added that the Law for toral roll has uncovered that He added that OSCE and IFES, racy of the list. Civilian Registry was approved by CULTURE almost 900 people over the age of a Intenational Foundation for But Majlinda Lulaj, spokesper- the Government this week and has Prishtina’s 100 remain on the voters’ list. Of Electoral Services, ‘will now help son for the Ministry of Public now been sent to the Kosovo’s those, 23 were born in the 1800s. the CEC with the voters’ registry’. Administration, said that Kosovo’s Assembly to be reviewed. Music Scene This is despite a major push in Ismet Kryeziu, the head of the census, which should be held in This law will make it a legal obli- the run-up to the elections, by the NGO Democracy in Action, a coali- 2011 for the first time in decades, gation to register births and deaths. ‘Comes of Age’ > page 11 Highway Costs Spark Kosovo EU Rewards Serbia for Budgetary Concerns Kosovo Climbdown FEATURE The International Monetary Fund, IMF, Serbia’s drive to join the EU has taken a From 30 to 1: The is warning that Kosovo is facing a 5.5 per major step forward after the EU Council of cent budget deficit worth 63million euro, Ministers decided to forward the country’s Decline of Kosovo the first in its history following years of EU candidacy application to the European budget surpluses. Commission in October. Cinema Opposition parties and economists Many EU and Serbian officials see the blame a 700 million euro... move as being a reward... business page 6 news page 4 > page 14 Y M is supported by: C K 2 September 17 - 30, 2010 news Albania Complains, Kosovo Continues Hydroelectric Project Kosovo is pressing ahead with a project to build a new hydro-plant bordering Albania, despite complaints from its neighbour that this would hamper its plans to build five hydro-plants according to the Generation “Kosovo, in absence of this law, Investment Study, GIS, drawn up will use the law from the former by the Energy Community Treaty Yugoslavia that was signed with By Petrit Collaku to which Kosovo, Albania and Albania,” Krasniqi told Prishtina some other Balkan countries are Insight. parties. It would, according to esti- Minister Shiroka said that mates, generate 300 megawatt of Kosovo is ready to tackle the prob- osovo’s project HC Zhur 1 electricity. lem with Albania, taking into con- and Zhur 2 will use several “For the sake of truth, the sideration the existing agree- Krivers and water streams regional study GIS was prepared ments, referring to the agreement from the hills of Mountain Sharri, in consultation with Balkan coun- between Albania and Yugoslavia. in south east Kosovo, channelling tries, including Kosovo and “Kosovo would never violate down the waters and collecting them in two reservoirs. Albania. This has never been con- any treaty or international con- tested by Albania during the vention,” Shiroka said. “Kosovo But this water would usually Fierze Lake, the site of one of Albania’s hydroelectric plants flow into the river Drini i Bardhe, preparation phase and during the will respect all ratified agree- 300MW, or around 400 Gigawatts of Austria, a consortium of Palet which carries on its course into finalisation of the study. What is ments but also discuss and negoti- energy annually. In aat, Turkey, and Union D Albania, triggering Kosovo and written and said lately looks a bit ate with Albania, part of our “Very soon we will create the Energy System Development Albania’s first major row. strange,” Minister Shiroka told nation.” Albania complains that use of Prishtina Insight. The project was supported by unit for the management of the Corporation, UK, and Limak the water in Kosovo would dam- She added that both Prime the World Bank and European project and elect the transaction Group from Turkey. age the river Luma in Kukes, Ministers of Kosovo and Albania, Commission in 2005 and reviewed advisor,” said the energy minister The project will also involve the Albania, where they plan to build who met in Tirana early this in 2007-2008. Shiroka. demolition of some 200 houses in five small hydro-plants, generat- month, agreed to find a ‘political The strategy has been approved The Ministry plans to prepare Brezna village where the existing ing 25.3 megawatt. solution’ to the issue. by the Kosovo’s Assembly and the the tendering package by the end lake would be expanded, covering Minister Justina Pula-Shiroka Government spokesman Memli government is obliged to imple- of the year and deliver it to the an extra 2,000 hectares of the vil- said that the project was identi- Krasniqi could not confirm or ment it. short-listed investors and, if lage’s surface. fied decades ago in Yugoslav times deny that any agreement had been Kosovo’s Ministry of Energy everything goes according to plan, “Expropriations are not prefere- and remains one of the most reached during the meeting has already identified some poten- the investor will be selected by the able for many but the government promising generators of hydro- between PMs but said that Kosovo tial investors to build the new middle of 2011. will expropriate according to crite- electric power in the Balkans, and Albania will apply ‘the law on hydro-plant at Zhur, which will The short listed companies are ria and best practices,” Shiroka international waters’. cost 300 million euro and produce Kelag International GmbH, said. Serbian Mobile Firms Still in Business in Kosovo Despite tough words from Kosovo’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority about dis- mantling the infrastructure of Belgrade-based mobile phone operators, these firms con- tinue to operate in Kosovo since the operation, many of the cent each year in areas such as pre- damaged masts have been put back paid, roaming and postpaid,” said into action, one assembly member Abazi. By Besiana Xharra claimed. Officials from IPKO called for Kosovo’s two licensed operators, action to be taken. “We appeal to Vala and Ipko, complain their busi- the relevant authorities to elimi- Serbian mobile phone firms continue to provide their service in Kosovo ness is being damaged by the pres- nate illegal antennas, which con- espite repeated tough state- ence of unregulated, Serbian firms. tinually damage IPKO telecommu- will remove the masts as soon as the will to remove the masts, they ments from Kosovo’s Following the TRA action, Vala nication company,” company possible,” Hoxha told Pristina would have been removed in a few DTelecommunication Regulatory offered sim-cards to the affected spokesperson Alban Kastrati said. Insight. days.” Authority, TRA, that they will disman- Serbian users.