A delegation of members of the European Parliament, who observed the first local elections in Kosovo, on 15 November, has congratulated “the people of Kosovo who undertook their responsibility and voted”. German MEP Doris Pack (EPP), who headed a six-member observation team, said Kosovo had demonstrated its “maturity” with the elections.

“We hope that these elections will encourage the Serb minority to engage politically in Northern Kosovo where elections are foreseen in six months’ time,” added Pack. For the EU’s Special Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith, these elections will contribute to “Kosovo’s transition to a multiethnic society”.

The Albanian authorities of Kosovo affirmed that they had “passed the test of democracy” the day after the first elections organised in the wake of the proclamation of independence, in which part of the Serb minority participated. Around 45% of the 1.5 million voters went to the polling places to choose mayors and municipal council members during this first election organised entirely by the authorities in Pristina since the territory proclaimed its independence from Serbia, on 17 February 2008. The elections met the “numerous” international criteria, said Darko Aleksov, who headed a mission of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisations (ENEMO), which deployed around 100 observers to Kosovo. Sixty-three countries have recognised Kosovo’s independence to date. Serbia is disputing this independence before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is set to hold its first hearings on the case in early December.