A look at how ethnic Albanians will be voting in coming elex

Описание: (9 May 2008) SHOTLIST

Bujanovac
1. Wide of street
2. People walking in street
3. Two elderly men sitting, talking

Presevo
4. Pan left of rally of the Party for Democratic Action (ethnic Albanian party) with leader Riza Halimi walking, UPSOUND: music
5. People holding Albanian, United States and European Union flags
6. Halimi at rally
7. Men clapping
8. Halimi walking to podium and waving to crowd
9. Wide of rally

Bujanovac
10. Close-up of election poster showing Shaip Kamberi of the Party for Democratic Action running for mayor in Bujanovac
11. SOUNDBITE: (Serbian) Shaip Kamberi, candidate for Mayor of Bujanovac, Party for Democratic Action:
"There is a strong possibility that those who are looking towards East, towards Russia will be elected and that it will have a very negative impact for all of Serbia but especially in areas where minorities live. It would be a negative outcome. We expect that a government like that would increase its security forces in the region and we would have the feeling that there is a state of emergency here. That will make life more difficult for ordinary citizens and as far as politics are concerned we will go backwards."
12. Various of children playing hide and seek near wall covered with posters of the Democratic Party (Serbian president Boris Tadic's party)
13. Wide of exterior of Party of Democratic Progress (ethnic Albanian Party)
14. Close-up of poster showing Jonuz Musliju, Party of Democratic Progress
15. SOUNDBITE: (Albanian) Jonuz Musliju, Party of Democratic Progress:
"I think this is the time when we need to vote, even if the two factions - pro-East and pro-West - are very close in the polls. I think it's lucky that the votes of the Albanians will go to the pro-west faction and that that faction will accept Kosovo's independence."
16. Wide of street
17. Children in street
18. SOUNDBITE: (Serbian) Local ethnic Albanian resident (name not given):
"We will vote, we have to and for whom should remain a secret. And we hope this year will be better..."
19. Men talking in street
20. Wide of street

STORYLINE:

With Serbian parliamentary elections taking place this weekend, ethnic Albanians living in Serbia's southern region are widely supporting pro-European parties and hoping their votes will contribute to get a pro-Western majority coalition into Government.

Ethnic Albanian Party for Democratic Action member Shaib Kamberi, who is running for mayor in the town of Bujanovac, said a victory by pro-Russia parties would make life more difficult for ethnic Albanians.

"It would be a negative outcome. We expect that a government like that would increase its security forces in the region and we would have the feeling that there is a state of emergency here," Kamberi told AP Television on Wednesday.

The candidate for the Party of Democratic Progress, another ethnic Albanian party, said Albanians would vote for pro-Western parties which support Kosovo's independence.

"I think it's lucky that the votes of the Albanians will go to the pro-Western faction and that that faction will accept Kosovo's independence," Jonuz Musliju told AP Television on Wednesday.

The so-called Presevo Valley was the scene of an ethnic Albanian rebellion in 2000-2001, which ended in a western-brokered deal granting more rights to the local communities.

Polls released ahead of Sunday's vote show the ultranationalist Radicals with 34 percent support, against 33 percent for a pro-Western coalition led
by President Boris Tadic.


Kostunica has based his campaign on Serbian outrage over Western support for Kosovo independence.







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