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Life in Kosovo debates political parties

05 11 2009  Life in Kosovo discussed Kosovo’s political parties.

The main questions under discussion were: How is the electoral campaign going? Who will win the elections? How does the governing coalition function? Which party gives the most promises? What complaints are political parties making? How ready is Kosovo to host fair and democratic elections?

To discuss these issues and others concerning Kosovo’s upcoming local elections, Muhamet Hajrullahu’s guests in the studio were:

Hajredin Kuçi, Vice President of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK)
Lutki Haziri, Vice President of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK)
Ibrahim Makolli, Vice President of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR)
Besa Gaxheri, Vice President of the Democratic League of Dardania (LDD)
Blerim Shala, Vice President of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK)

Hajrullahu began the show by reminding the panel that, since the November 15 polls are to be the first organised elections in the independent Republic of Kosovo, viewers are interested to know more about the electoral campaign.

Thus, he asked Hajredin Kuçi of the PDK for his evaluation of the campaign. Kuçi claimed that, thus far, all parties’ campaigns had been within the framework of democratic elections, in which citizens would have an opportunity to hear various suggestions on how a better future could be built.

Lutki Haziri of the LDK stated that this campaign, which was announced by Kosovo’s president much earlier than for previous elections, had seen better structured plans. He went on to say that for the LDK, the campaign has been conducted in accordance with the electoral code.

Ibrahim Makolli of the AKR claimed that it is significant for his party also that these are the first elections since Kosovo’s declaration of independence and, even though a few people did not respect the timeframe for starting campaigns, his party had respected all the rules.

Besa Gaxheri from the LDD agreed partly with her colleagues about the campaign, but added that Kosovo now “knows how elections should be organised and the government should take more responsibility for organising them”.

However, she claimed, a lot of improper remarks and irregularities had emerged over the campaign period. Furthermore, she said that supporters of all political parties must avoid resorting to violence in order to beat others, in order to maintain stability and clearly promote a democratic programme.

Blerim Shala of the AAK also claimed that the November 15 polls are of great importance to Kosovo since it provides an opportunity for the country to show its maturity and stability as a state capable of democratic processes.

His party, he said, is working on a fair and democratic election campaign. “All parties must have clear programmes to ensure that the needs of Kosovo’s citizens will be best fulfilled and the distancebetween the state and citizens will shrink,” he concluded.

Hajrullahu asked Kuçi to comment on the allegations that the PDK began its campaign earlier than the  determined schedule.

Kuçi replied that the “cycle of accusations must be overcome,” and secondly that the results of the vote will “reveal the will of Kosovo’s citizens, not election posters”.

He then stated that only competent institutions can determine whether there had been a violation of campaign regulations and, since no legal officials had said anything, Kuçi claimed that the PDK had not violated any regulations.

In conclusion, he claimed to be convinced that the PDK’s actions had not been in order to win citizen’s votes, but rather to inform them about their electoral campaign.

Hajtullahu then asked Haziri whether he agreed with Kuçi. In response, Haziri said that the two men “agree to disagree,” and that the governing parties have no right to interfere with the independent Electoral Commissions.

Makolli considered that the candidates for local elections should have to wait for accreditation from the Central Election Committee (CEC) before beginning their campaigns. He contrasted this ideal with the current campaign, which had seen some candidates disrespecting this requirement.

However, he expressed satisfaction that the Election Committee for Appeals and Complaints (ECAC) had finally prepared their office to accept complaints. Makolli also mentioned a few threats which had been heard during the campaign, and claimed that these should be stopped since “they will lead the country nowhere”.

In response to these statements, Gaxheri said that the CEC and ECAC had been established by the government, although the latter must not influence them.

She went on to say that, in her opinion, the greatest problem with Kosovo’s elections is the lack of a “well-established legislative body in which all political parties are equal before the law”.

Shala then expressed his concerns about the campaign. First, he said, the Ahtisaari plan required that Kosovo’s elections be monitored by an international body, something which has not been instituted. Secondly, that there are very few international observers.

Thirdly, that the CEC had started work late. Shala contrasted this with previous elections, in which OSCE was disturbed if the exact date for polls was not determined six months in advance.

The government’s slow action on establishing the CEC, and the delay in updating voter lists reflects serious problems with the whole process, he said.

Throughout the discussion, many allegations were made that the current government had acted outside of accordance with the law, and that voting legislation had not been fully respected.

All the participants agreed that no party should abuse their power if they were governing during elections by fulfilling only their own party’s interests; instead, common welfare was defined as the only acceptable incentive for action.

It was often claimed that the results of the November 15 elections may be unreliable due to the lack of a stable legal system, truly independent election committees and international observers.

Kuçi concluded that the commissions must fulfil their moral obligations, and people must go out to vote, not only for their individual benefit, but for the common interest of Kosovo’s society.

Haziri added that the LDK anticipates that election day will witness people acting in line with their obligations as citizens, in order to helpbuild a better future for the country.

 
Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.