Hardest political speech in run-off competition

In Kosovo, the pre-election campaign officially kicks off Monday for the second round of local elections to be held on November 19th.

Over the next five days, candidates for mayors will have the opportunity that once again they reveal their programmes.

Central Election Commission officials, meanwhile, say they are prepared for the run-off to be held in 19 Kosovo municipalities from 38 as long as there are a total.

Valmir Elez, spokesman at the institution, tells Radio Free Europe that voting rights have 1 million and 353 thousand and 613 voters.

On election day, Elezi suggests, 614 polling stations from 899 will be open as far as they have been in the first round on October 22nd.

Next Sunday, the second round of elections is held in 19 municipalities for mayors, meanwhile, in the Partesh municipality, only to be revoted for mayor of the municipality”.

The “in Kosovo's 19 municipalities, where the second round will be held, is 614 polling stations, with a total of 1,777 polling stations being opened for this round”, Elesi says.

Otherwise, political parties and their candidates competing in the runoff have continued the informal campaign since the CEC declared preliminary results for the first round of local elections.

In fact, during this period some of the political parties that are expected to compete in the runoff for local elections have even linked coalitions to other political subjects.

According to political analysts, the most interesting race is expected to take place in larger municipalities, such as Pristina, Mitrovica, Gjakova, Ferizaj and Prizren, but which dominates Pristina.

On the other hand, Albert Krasniqi, analyst from the Kosovo Democratic Institute, tells Radio Free Europe that prior to the launch of the official campaign, a tougher political vocabulary among candidates for mayors is being observed.

“Overall in public debates, which are being organised on television, there is a tougher language there, and they are also using media conferences to press accusations or counteraccuss in the direction of their candidates”, Krasniqi says.

In the second round of elections, the Democratic League of Kosovo competes in 12 municipalities, the Democratic Party of Kosovo in 9, the Vetevendosje Movement in 6 municipalities, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo in 5 municipalities, while the New Kosovo Alliance, the Initiative for Kosovo and the Alternative from a municipality.

The Central Election Commission in Kosovo is making final preparations for maintaining the run-off for local self-government bodies, which will be held in Kosovo's 19 municipalities.

And according to the CEC's final results, in the first round of local elections that were held on October 22nd, the Democratic League of Kosovo has won in 4 municipalities -- the Democratic Party of Kosovo, a municipality, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo at the country level -- has managed to win in 2 municipalities.

The Vetevendosje Movement has failed to win in the first circle in any municipality, like the New Kosovo Alliance, NISMA and Alternatives.

The Serbian List has won nine municipalities.