OSCE urges new Kosovo govt to stay close to Europe

Описание: (18 Nov 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot press room
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Doris Pack, Member of Council of Europe Monitoring Team:
"I want to underline, as members of European parliamentarians, we are interested that all politicians elected yesterday should keep in mind that Kosovo does have European perspective and should work for this perspective, and the politicians elected here they should know that their work is only to follow what we have asked them to do and what is normal to become a member of the European Union, and that they should work at the improvement of the daily life of the citizens, of all citizens of all communities. That was our message here, and I think that if representatives can understand it can be helpful for the next elections so we can have a better turn-out."
3. Wide of members of European Parliament
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Doris Pack, Member of Council of Europe Monitoring Team:
"We are alarmed by the very low turn-out, and we have to ask ourselves why is it so low, and we have come to the conclusion that this low turn-out reflects the population's disappointment with the performance of their elected representatives."
5. Wide of head of Council of Europe
STORYLINE:
Officials from the Council of Europe say Kosovo's elections were carried out in line with international standards, although the turn-out was "alarmingly" low.
"We are alarmed by the very low turn-out, and we have to ask ourselves why it's so low, and we have come to the conclusion that this low turn-out reflects the population's disappointment with the performance of their elected representatives," Doris Pack, member of the European Parliament said.
She was referring to the 43 percent voter turn-out on Saturday - the lowest in Kosovo's polls.
Some 150 observers, including 29 elected members from the Council of Europe, evaluated the voting process in positive terms and said that both the elections and the electoral process were conducted in line with European and international standards for democratic elections.
Pack urged the new government to stay close to Europe, saying: "All politicians elected yesterday should keep in mind that Kosovo does have a European perspective and should work for this perspective."
Contributing to the low turn-out was Kosovo's dwindling Serb minority which boycotted the vote - as in past elections - obeying calls from Serbia's leadership to shun the poll.
But some Serb voters in ethnic Albanian-dominated areas turned up at polling stations, election observers said.
Independent observers said unofficial vote tallies from Saturday's parliamentary elections gave ex-rebel Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo the lead with 34 percent of the vote.
The League of Democratic Kosovo, or LDK - traditionally the province's largest political bloc - trailed with 22 percent.
Official preliminary results were not expected until late on Monday, but the observers' tally showed voters strongly supported Thaci, who has pledged to deliver swift independence from Serbia. He declared victory shortly after midnight.
Thaci, 39, has said that if he becomes prime minister, Kosovo's leadership will declare independence from Serbia after December 10 - the deadline for international mediators to report back to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on efforts to resolve the dispute over Kosovo's future status.

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