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Prishtina Insight #122

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Prishtina Insight #122 November 8-21, 2013 l #122 l Price 1€ Only in Skenderaj: No joke: Strong Party Prishtina Jailed mayor wins big, poised to win seat in Insight but loses votes. page 2 Prishtina. page 9 who has their In North Mitrovica, little stood between voters and election-wreckers. page 4 Albanian family prospers in back? volatile Bosniak Mahala. page 6 A choice between a l PI Guide: Traditia lives up to name with classic Albanian fare. page 12 veteran and a reformer l Region: Former Bosnian refugee for mayor. page 14 makes run for US Congress. page 10 PageTwo2 n November 8-21, 2013 n Prishtina Insight the enduring START saMi HERE 2009 PerceNt of aLL votes success of a 85.0% LUshtakU 2009 votes jailed mayor In 2009 sami Lushtaku celebrated his 25,017 2013 re-election in a jail cell. the mayor of skenderaj is accused of war crimes. He got a whopping 88.5 votes per cent of the vote, beating his -7,866 In 2013 85 per cent in 2009. it’s the best fewer votes showing of any Kosovo mayor by far. and it all happened, curiously, +3.6 17,151 PerceNt of aLL votes with dramatically lower turnout in more 2013 skenderaj, a place that has seen PerceNtage suspiciously high turnout in the PoiNts 88.5% last two elections. 2009 62.8% from the editor (29,894 voters) turnout 2013 40.4% Betrayal for those brave (21,222 voters) enough to vote votes - 8,672 for sami voters LusHtaKu iN A few days ago, I was discussing the recent democratic progress. In North Mitrovica, sKeNderaj elections with a colleague. In slightly more thugs intimidated voters while police did - 22.4 colorful language, I asked, “So, would you nothing. Three polling places were at- PerceNtage say these were significantly less bad than tacked and no one stood in the way. PoiNts last time?” She laughed, and said, “You Voters took a big risk, yet they were left internationals are all the same. The elec- to fend for themselves. The blame extends tions were great.” In all fairness, I think a from the individual officers all the way to lot of people in Kosovo anticipated that the Brussels. The EU, in particular, takes special elections would be blame because it is the reason why Kosovo anything but fair and Serbia had that April Agreement. If and free. Consid- Brussels was as insistent about security for ering the whole- voters as it was for elections, we would be sale fraud that having a different conversation about the happened in 2010 Nate. elections. We’d be lauding the small, but en- in some areas and Tabak couraging the turnout of Serbs in Northern the lack of reform, @birn.eu.com Kosovo, instead talking about the people it was a reasona- Editor-in-Chief who spoiled the elections. ble assumption to While it’s true that Kosovo Police were make. primarily responsible that day, the prod- Luckily, we were wrong. A preliminary ding from the right people in the interna- report from the EU’s observer mission tional community would have resulted in found good conditions within the majority a different security situation. There’s an of polling places. The biggest deficiencies even more troubling prospect being raised were attributed to incompetence, and not by some commentators, that the desire to bad intentions. In a relatively short period keep these elections free from the appear- of time, Kosovo figured out how to run a ance of international interference overrode good election. Based on BIRN’s monitors basic issues of security. Prishtina Balkan Investigative Reporting Network • Mensa e Studenteve, on the ground, it seems like respect for the The elections will be re-run - and pre- Insight first floor, 10000, Prishtina, Kosovo Pho• Ne: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 process has taken root among individual sumably with better security. However, I • edItoR-IN-chIef: Nate Tabak • Staff: Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, voters, too. suspect that it will take more than that to Petrit Collaku, Parim Olluri, Flutura Kusari and Arijeta Lajka. • deSIgN: Trembelat • Many voters in northern Kosovo, how- regain the trust of those who voted and Prishtina Insight is supported by the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society, Norwegian ever, did not have a chance to embrace the those who didn’t. Embassy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. November 8-21, 2013 n Prishtina Insight n 3 E: [email protected] / T: +381 (0)38 60 40 70 / W: www.rikon-ks.com MP 4000 MP 2510 / 3010 Print/Copy/Scan/Fax Print/Copy/Scan/Fax 40 ppm 25 / 35 ppm A4 / A3 A4 / A3 ARDF ARDF Duplex Duplex Finisher Finisher Network Network 40000 kopje garancion 20000 kopje garancion 900.00€ 450.00€ Në çmime janë të përfshira të gjitha taksat 4 n November 8-21, 2013 n Prishtina Insight November 8-21, 2013 n Prishtina Insight n 5 elections: winners and losers after the November 3 elec- has fallen well short of the 50 the prizes so far: Nation tions, mayors were elected in per cent he needed to win in drenas, Kacanik, skenderaj only 10 municipalities. a sec- the first round - he got 43 per and shtime - PdK ond voting is scheduled in 24 cent by the last count. He’ll fushe Kosove, istog and municipalities on december likely faces vetevendosje’s Podujeve - ldK 1 - while there are no results shpend ahmeti, who came decan - aaK electIoNS yet from Northern Kosovo. in second, with 31.6 per cent. mamusha - turkish Peo- By comparison, in the while ahmeti would seem to ple's Party 2009 elections a second have an obvious disadvan- round of elections was held tage, the fact that 57 per cent PdK lost 17,000 votes in the in 18 out of 36 municipalities, of voters decided they did not muncpailties it has won so while this time candidates for want a third term for mustafa far, compared to 2009. mayor will compete in 24 out is telling. an independent Polls were open of 38 municipalities. candidate, refki suma, won ldK, meanwhile, has gained runoff in Prishtina:i t ap- in Han i elezit. 7.341 voters in its mayoral pears that isa mustafa of LdK elections, compared to 2009. — for attackers allowed those elements opposing the elections to organize,” he said. Violent disruption of last Sunday’s local “Kosovo Police were responsible for maintaining a ground presence, but elections in Serb-run northern Kosovo was it is well known here that they lack the credibility, capacity and authority for predictable, so why was so little done to this kind of operation,” he added. Three months ago, under the terms prevent it? of the April Brussels Agreement, Koso- vo Police appointed Nenad Djuric as the new regional commander for northern Kosovo. But many see the new appoint- By Harriet salem of explosions rocked the northern, Serb ment as largely symbolic and say it has side of the divided town of Mitrovica. yet to have real impact. “The Kosovo On Sunday November 3 at 5pm, an hour Stashed below patio doors and thrown Police have been operating for 13 years before polls closed, masked men simul- through windows in the dead of night, in north Kosovo without real authority,” taneously stormed three polling sta- the homemade explosives had one tar- Krstic said. “You cannot expect things to tions in North Mitrovica, meeting no ap- get: the mayoral candidates in the town, change in such a short period of time.” parent resistance from police. Tossing as well as their homes, families and busi- Bajram Rexhepi, Kosovo Interior “The OSCE is not responsible for securi- tear-gas grenades, smashing windows nesses. Minister, has since defended the con- ty at elections. Yes, we were in constant and ransacking rooms, the raiders de- By voting day it was clear that in duct of the police, saying they did a “rel- contact with EULEX and KFOR about the “Security is stroyed ballot boxes and the votes they northern Mitrovica there was space for atively good job” on election day, and situation, but that is not really our role. the job of contained, bringing an abrupt end to one election campaign only: “Boycott”. that, “this time they did their job mainly We were there to help administer and the security an otherwise relatively peaceful local Organised with the backing of the right- sight at 9am as she cast her ballot paper. around and intimidating people, they Heavily armed as they should have done”. facilitate voting procedures.” euLeX police forces, election. wing Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, “Right now, I am not thinking about the did not react,” an international observer There is also a political dynamic to “Security is the job of the security officers, above, Kosovo Visibly shaken officials from the -Or and the ultranationalist groups Obraz election results, I am just hoping that told Prishtina Insight. deploy follow- consider, she added, asking what “the forces, Kosovo Police, EULEX and KFOR. ganisation for Security and Co-opera- and Dveri, the boycott protesters made voters’ democratic rights will be upheld “There was no reaction even after ing the attacks in image of Kosovo would be if the Kosovo We are not GI Joe or Rambo. OSCE staff Police, tion in Europe, OSCE, who were present their presence felt. Frequent rallies were today.” we called the regional commander for North mitrovica. Police, EULEX and KFOR went to polling are not body armour for ballot boxes, we EULEX and at left, Kosovo in Mitrovica to help facilitate the contro- held in the town centre featuring a mass Throughout the day, groups of Mitrovica north, Nenad Djuric, at about Police inspect a stations with armored vehicles?” are civilians,” he added.
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