United Nations S/2017/640 Security Council Distr.: General 24 July 2017 Original: English Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo I. Introduction and Mission priorities 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1244 (1999), by which the Council established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and requested me to report at regular intervals on the implementation of its mandate. The report covers the activities of UNMIK and developments relating thereto from 16 April to 15 July 2017. 2. The priorities of the Mission remain to promote security, stability and respect for human rights in Kosovo and the region. In furtherance of its goals, UNMIK continues its constructive engagement with Pristina and Belgrade, all communities in Kosovo and regional and international actors. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) continue to perform their roles within the framework of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) continues its presence in Kosovo, in line with the statement by the President of the Security Council of 26 November 2008 (S/PRST/2008/44) and my report of 24 November 2008 (S/2008/692). The United Nations agencies, funds and programmes work closely with the Mission. II. Political and security developments 3. The reporting period was marked by a collapse of the coalition government led by the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo and subsequently, by early legislative elections. The government fell following a vote held in the Assembly of Kosovo, on 10 May, on a motion of no confidence in the government submitted by the then opposition party, Initiative for Kosovo. The motion, which passed with 78 votes in favour, was supported by, inter alia, the votes of 34 of the 36 deputies of the governing Democratic Party of Kosovo. As a result of the vote, the Assembly was dissolved and early legislative elections were scheduled for 11 June. 4. In preparation for the elections, on 31 May, the Kosovo Central Election Commission published the final voter list, consisting of 1,872,941 eligible voters, including 155,202 first-time voters. The Commission announced that there would be a total of 889 voting centres, comprising 2,490 polling stations. In response to an 17-12547 (E) 030817 *1712547* S/2017/640 invitation from the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, on 30 May, the European Union announced the deployment of an election observation mission to Kosovo. 5. The 10-day electoral campaign period began on 31 May. In total, 26 political entities, comprising five pre-election coalitions, 19 political parties and two citizens’ initiatives, competed for the 120 seats in the Assembly of Kosovo. After intense negotiations, the Democratic Party of Kosovo formed a pre-election coalition with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, the Initiative for Kosovo and 10 other small Kosovo Albanian political parties, in a grouping of all major “veteran” parties of the Kosovo Liberation Army within a single electoral entity. The coalition nominated the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, as its candidate for Prime Minister. The Democratic League of Kosovo formed a pre-election coalition with New Kosovo Alliance and the newly formed Alternativa party, with Avdullah Hoti, from the Democratic League of Kosovo, as its candidate for Prime Minister. Vetëvendosje (“Movement for Self- Determination”) was the only major Kosovo Albanian party that chose not to enter a pre-election coalition. Vetëvendosje nominated former party leader Albin Kurti as its candidate for Prime Minister. 6. In the pre-election period, there was a reconfiguration of the Kosovo Serb political landscape, with the transformation of the political grouping Građjanska Inicijativa Srpska Lista into a political party that was publicly supported by representatives of the Government of Serbia. In addition, a number of Kosovo Serb politicians formerly aligned with Građjanska Inicijativa Srpska Lista decided to present their own lists for the election, which contributed to a relatively tense campaign period, with alleged instances of intimidation and politically motivated security incidents. On 5 June, the Chief Observer of the European Union election observation mission criticized the campaign environment and called upon police and prosecutors to investigate all such incidents promptly and rigorously. In its preliminary findings, on 13 June, the observation mission specifically noted that the election environment in Kosovo Serb-majority municipalities “was marred by intimidation and instances of violence from within the Kosovo Serb community against candidates and voters”. 7. Local and international election observers concluded that the legislative elections on 11 June had been held without major incidents or irregularities other than the aforementioned localized incidents of voter intimidation and long unresolved problems regarding voter lists and the full participation of voters outside Kosovo. The Chief Observer of the observation mission, in presenting the preliminary findings, assessed the elections of 11 June in Kosovo as “genuinely competitive and peaceful in most parts”. The President of Kosovo welcomed the mission’s preliminary findings, which, in his view, “confirmed that the elections were free, democratic and in line with international standards”. 8. The Central Election Commission announced the certified election results on 8 July. The coalition of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Initiative for Kosovo and others had obtained 33.7 per cent of the votes, securing 39 seats in the Assembly of Kosovo. Vetёvendosje had obtained 27.49 per cent of the votes and 32 seats and the coalition of the Democratic League of Kosovo, New Kosovo Alliance and Alternativa had obtained 25.53 per cent of the votes and 29 seats. Građjanska Inicijativa Srpska Lista had secured 9 of the 10 seats guaranteed for representatives of the Kosovo Serb community, with the Independent Liberal Party winning the tenth. Political representatives of the Ashkali, Bosniak, Gorani, Roma and Turkish communities collectively filled the 10 seats guaranteed for other non-majority communities. No party or pre-election coalition secured a governing majority, and by the end of the reporting period, no post-election alliance 2/17 17-12547 S/2017/640 had been established in order to form a government. The Assembly must hold its constitutive meeting no later than 7 August. 9. Separately, following a consultative meeting with representatives of political parties and the Central Election Commission, on 22 June, the President of Kosovo announced that local elections in Kosovo would be held on 22 October. 10. Some serious tensions were evident during the period under review. On 5 May, a young Kosovo Albanian was fatally shot at a bar in the vicinity of the main bridge in South Mitrovica. In response to the incident, on 7 May, some 4,000 people protested in South Mitrovica to condemn the violence and demand justice. Also on 5 May, some 100 Vetëvendosje activists demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Justice in Pristina, demanding justice for Astrit Dehari, a member of their party who had died in custody on 5 November 2016. The protest turned violent, with protesters throwing stones at Kosovo police officers, injuring two of them, and vandalizing up to 60 vehicles of the Ministry of Justice and the Kosovo police. In a separate incident, on 13 May, in Pristina, a prominent Kosovo journalist, Arbana Xharra, sustained serious injuries in a physical assault by unknown perpetrators. Ms. Xharra had previously been the target of threats and attacks for her articles on political corruption and the danger of religious extremism. Local leaders and international community representatives condemned the attack and called upon law enforcement authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. 11. On 20 April, the Election Commission of the Republic of Serbia declared the final results of that country’s presidential election, held on 2 April, confirming the victory of the former Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, with 55.08 per cent of the votes. On 31 May, Mr. Vučić was sworn in as the new President of Serbia, at a special session of the Serbian parliament. The new Government of Serbia was approved by the Assembly on 29 June. The new Prime Minister, Ana Brnabić, is a former Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-government. There has been no change in the leadership of the Government of Serbia Office for Kosovo and Metohija. III. Northern Kosovo 12. The elections on 11 June marked the highest voter turnout in the northern municipalities since 1999. On the day of the elections, OSCE, at the request of the Central Election Commission, provided technical assistance at all 44 polling centres in northern Kosovo. Significantly, the elections were publicly supported by the Government of Serbia, and on 21 May, the newly elected President of Serbia, Mr. Vučić, personally encouraged Kosovo Serbs to vote for Građjanska Inicijativa Srpska Lista. 13. Several incidents during the reporting period fuelled perceptions of weak rule of law, impunity and the influence of criminal elements in northern Kosovo. An attempted armed robbery of an armoured vehicle carrying cash was reported on 17 May near the Gate 1 crossing of the Administrative Boundary Line; shots were fired during the incident. Other incidents included a 29 May attack with a firearm on the building housing the headquarters of the Party of Kosovo Serbs in Leposavić/Leposaviq, and an altercation on 4 June in Leposavić/Leposaviq between the head of the Party of Kosovo Serbs and Građjanska Inicijativa Srpska Lista supporters, during which the Kosovo police confiscated a weapon. Subsequently, on 5 June, the driver of the mayor of Leposavić/Leposaviq was physically assaulted during a protest organized by Građjanska Inicijativa Srpska Lista supporters in front of the Centre for Social Welfare in Leposavić/Leposaviq.