Run-off for mechanical vote collection

In Kosovo, campaigning for the second round of mayors' elections has been officially launched, to be held on November 19th.

Over the next five days, mayoral candidates will have the opportunity once again to extend their programmes.

Central Election Commission officials have said they are prepared for the run-off race, to be held in 19 Kosovo municipalities from 38 in total.

Recognitions of political developments in Kosovo estimate that political parties and candidates competing in mayoral run-offs during the five-day campaign will have nothing more to offer than in the first round of mayoral elections.

Artan Mujariri, political affairs analyst, tells Radio Free Europe that an informal, pre-election campaign is under way since the end of the first round of local elections, October 22nd. However, according to him, the candidates of various municipal parties, who have entered the run-off race, have offered nothing concrete and more than they had previously offered.

They don't have any adults, they don't have any additional elements that could catalyrate them, in relation to the 22 October votes. In fact, the runoff, in fact, has turned into a mechanical vote meeting in Kosovo. So it's a short time to lure the electorate with some new idea, but, anyway, political parties have not shown that they have any idea that would make the difference, in relation to the October elections”, Muhajiri says.

Political affairs analyst Ismail Hasani, speaking of Radio Free Europe, expresses the opinion that the campaign for the run-off will be, as he calls it, uniform and, according to him, in certain cases even monotonous.

All candidates in the first round have more exchanged grave words, insults, denigrations of one subject or candidates than dealt with programmes. So the words have consumed them. As far as the programmes are concerned, it is not that any political party has distinctive characteristics from other parties. Basically, the political race will be related to names, the so-called political cabenents -- in this case, the major parties”.

The Democratic League of Kosovo will compete in the runoff in 12 municipalities. In 9 municipalities, the Democratic Party of Kosovo will compete in the runoff. The Vetevendosje movement competes in 6 municipalities, meanwhile, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo in 5 municipalities. The New Kosovo Alliance, the Initiative for Kosovo and the Alternatives have a municipality in which they are in a run-off race.

But, what are, according to connoisseurs of political developments, the political parties' most important focus for specific municipalities?

Analyst Muhhaxhiri says each party has its priorities and they are clear in their commitment to campaigns.

“E we have seen, for example, that the Vetevendosje Movement, its main focus is in Pristina. The PDK has its main focus in Prizren, while the LDK has it in Gjilan. In Pristina, more is the focus of Vetevendosje than the LDK, because Pristina for Vetevendosje Movement is to be or not to be”.

Analyst Hasani estimates that the race in the run-off for the first in the Pristina municipality will be not only interesting, but also a close race.

This will be a tight race. Normally, with these incidents, which Vetevendosje is doing, on purpose or without purpose, that does not accept television debate. While, as far as vote is concerned, I think it will be a situation, which most suits the parties, which have had the quietest election campaign in the first round, in this case, the LDK is”.

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.

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.

CEC officials have stressed that on November 19th, a total of a thousand of 777 seats will be open, at 614 polling stations from 899, while in the first round on 22 October. According to them, voting rights have 1 million and 353 thousand and 613 voters.

Given the CEC's final results, in the first round of local elections held on 22 October, the Democratic League of Kosovo has won in 4 municipalities -- the Democratic Party of Kosovo, 1 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, Initiative and Alternatives. The Serbian List has won nine municipalities.