00:09 According to preliminary
figures of the Central Election Commission which, so far, has counted
47,85 per cent of all casted ballots, the PDK leads with 29.97 per cent
followed by the LDK which won 26.18 per cent, the Vetevendosje Movement
12.15 per cent, the AAK 10.33 per cent and NISMA 6.23 per cent.
"As by tomorrow morning we will continue to fulfill our duties. As by
tomorrow we will start to implement our 'New Mission'," Hashim Thaci,
head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo said in his speech.
22:30 Kadri Veseli, deputy head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo declared the victory of the PDK.
“Let me confirm that the PDK is a convincing winner of the 2014 national elections”, he said in a press conference.
22:12 Kosovo and its people passed this challenge
with dignity and maturity in the consolidation of our state, Atifete
Jahjaha, Kosovo president said on Twitter.
21:20 Tanjug correspondent in Kosovo receives death threats on Facebook.
20:38
20:09 Most of the political parties praised the
election process in Kosovo. The AAK asked for "correct" counting
procedures, while the LDK announced it won't accept the results if there
are major irregularities.
19:45 The first preliminary results are expected to be announced after midnight.
19:41 After a big last minute voter rush in Gracanica, 3056 of 7727 voters cast their ballots.
19:12 The CEC said some 43.46 per cent of more than 1,700,000 voters cast their ballots until 7pm when the polls closed.
19:00 Polls close.
18:03 Some Serbs were not allowed to vote with their Serbian documents in the towns of
Peja/Pec, Istog/Istok, Klina and Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje, Nenad Rikalo of the Kosovo Election Commission said.
17:57 As Kosovo national polls are nearing the end,
Tracey Ann Jacobson, US ambassador to Kosovo, has urged authorities to
act responsibly during the counting process as well.
“I hope we’ll have more participation throughout the day and that
we’ll see a continued responsible behavior through the counting as
well,” the ambassador told BIRN.
17:34 The Kosovo State Prosecution said it is
investigating several cases involving more than ten people who allegedly
bribed voters during the process. The cases were reported in the
Mitrovica and Lipjan region.
17:00 The Kosovo Police announced they have arrested
one of the members of the NGO "The Free Vote" [Vota e Lire] which made
phone calls to random people asking them whether they have voted today.
The prosecution is investigating the case. The arrest comes following
BIRN's reporting on the issue.
16:46 So far 14 complaints related to alleged
irregularities during the elections have been handed out to the
Elections Complaints and Appeals Panel, ECAP, officials at the panel
told BIRN.
16:03 The Central Election Commission said that
26,47 per cent cast their ballots until 3pm. The highest turnout is
registered in the multi-ethnic municipality of Mamusha where 37.37 per
cent of voters cast their ballots. The lowest turnout, meanwhile, is
registered in the northern municipality of Leposavic where only 14.68
per cent of people voted until 3 pm.
15:40
15:13 BIRN reporter from the Serb-run north of
Mitrovica says the situation in Zubin Potok and Mitrovica is calm and
quiet. "Unlike 2013 local polls which were marred with several incidents
in the north of Kosovo, the national elections are going smoothly in
that part of the country," BIRN team in the Serb-dominated areas
reports.
15:02 So few voters in Zubin Potok area
(Serb-run north of Kosovo) that one of the polling staton workers has
laid down for a nap. Photo credit: Valerie Hopkins.
14:52 Visar Arifaj, head of the the Strong Party
(Partia e Forte) specialized in sarcasm and satire called on "militants
of parties" to cast their ballots.
“Those who are no militants don’t need to vote”, he said.
14:35 The Basic Court in Pristina said it had
launched an investigation against an NGO which calls itself “The Free
Vote” because it has been calling people on the phone asking them if
they are going to vote.
Ikramije Bojaxhiu, Pristina prosecutor in charge of elections told BIRN: “It is important to stop these phone calls first”.
“Afterwards we will try to identify the people”, she added.
The prosecution is cooperating with the Kosovo Police in this case.
People who made these misterious calls said the results of this
survey would be posted on their website votaelire.com, but this site
does not exist.
14:28 LDK said no irregularities in the election process have been reported so far.
14:22 “Democracy for Action”, a coalition of NGO’s
which are monitoring the elections, said there were several minor
incidents in polling centers across Kosovo.
Observers from “Democracy for Action” reported there were thousand
cases of family votes, hundreds of assisting people to vote... These
cases are considered to be illegal.
14:16 Zoran Mojsilovic, a candidate for deputy of
the Serbian List, told reporters that Kosovo Serb participation in the
election was important for the Serbian community, because this is the
way Serbs can have a greater influence on Kosovo policy than before.
"I hope that we will, with the help of the Republic of Serbia and our
people in the Kosovo parliament, contribute to the community of Serbs
in Kosovo and Metohija and make life easier for our citizens," said
Mojsilovic.
13:43 A bride seen casting her ballot in Pristina has to make two choices today.
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Photo credit kallxo.com |
13:37 The Democratic Party of Kosovo said it is
continuously maintaining contacts with its staff in all municipalities
across Kosovo. So far, the PDK said, there was no report on any case
which could have damaged the election process except for sporadic and
technical issues like lack of spray and delays in opening polling
stations.
13:22 EU Special Representative to Kosovo, Samuel
Zbogar, has expressed happiness over the election course so far.
Visiting a polling station in Pristina, he saw no irregularities, as he
said.
13:18 Mayor Rufki Suma of Hani i Elezit: "I
don't believe the big promises of all the big parties," BIRN team in Han
i Elezit reported. Suma is the only independent candidate who was
re-elected mayor of Han i Elezit in 2013 local polls.
13:14 While the turnout in the N
orth is around 5%, in Skenderaj is around 13% and highest in Mamusha around 17%.
13:02 Turnout until in Serb-populated areas until 11am:
Mitrovica 4,4, Gracanica 10, Strpce 11 and Novo Brdo 8,6.
13:00 Ian Cliff, British Ambassador to Kosovo on
RTV21 calls on Kosovo citizens to seize this opportunity and vote on
fair and democratic elections.
12:48
12:42 Valdete Daka, head of CEC said the process is
going well, while commissioners have been urged to respect CEC decisions
and instructions.
Prior to the elections the CEC decided to print 5.7 per cent ballots
less compared to previous elections, but Daka ensured this will not have
an impact to the voters turnout.
12:33 "The European Union wishes to see free, fair
and inclusive legislative elections take place on 8 June throughout
Kosovo. These are the first elections after the successful conclusion of
negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the
EU and Kosovo. Kosovo has made impressive progress in its relations
with the EU and in the normalisation process with Serbia over the past
two years. We are looking forward to continue our close engagement and
commitment to Kosovo with the new Government after the elections," a
press release reads.
12:28 People in Kosovo are invited to s
end an SMS to 50088 (free from all mobile providers) to report voter fraud or intimidation.
12:13 Kosovo Serb Marko Jaksic said on his Twitter
account that if the turnout trend continues in the Serb-run north of
Mitrovica, about 2500 people (<10%) will cast their ballot.
12:07 Albin Kurti, Head of the Vetevendosje
Movement, said the elections were important for democracy and
state-building process in Kosovo.
“Now democracy is not closed in halls and rooms of institution
buildings, but is opened across Kosovo to everyone. Today, people are
massively becoming decision-makers for the future of our society”, Kurti
said after he cast his vote.
12:02 The Central Election Commission said that 9.92 per cent cast their ballots until 11am.
11:59 Kohavizion reports, citing sources from the CEC, that the turnout in Kosovo stands at 10 per cent.
11:55 Slobodan Dimitrijevic, Head of the Municipal
Election Commission in Mitrovica, told Tanjug news agency that there
were no irregularities reported at 33 polling stations there.
11:45 Only
316 voted by 11 am in Sveti Sava school in North Mitrovica. During November local elections, by this time 1,000 had voted, said the OSCE in the polling station in North Mitrovica.
11:28 KFOR commander, Italian General Salvatore
Farina, said in the divided town of Mitrovica that KFOR guarantees the
safety of all citizens in Kosovo on the election day.
11:20 Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said while
casting his ballot that today was a "historic day" for the country. He
described the elections as “a battle of competition” urging all people
to cast their vote.
“I believe that Kosovo, its people and the political spectrum will
send the best message to the world that democracy is acting and
developing in Kosovo, while pluralism is prevailing”, head of the
Democratic Party of Kosovvo, PDK, said.
11:09 The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, Isa Mustafa, said while casting his ballot that today's winner will be the people of Kosovo.
"I want everyone to vote because the elections are the best way for citizens to decide on future leadership," said Mustafa.
11:00 Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Kosov,o Roberto Gualtieri, said that the vote is going well and smoothly.
During his visit to a polling station at the Faculty of Philology of
the University of Pristina, he said that the presence of EU observers
will assure peaceful and regular flow of today's election.
10:39
10:00 Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga cast her ballot in Pristina urging all people of Kosovo to vote.
“These elections prove democratization and determine the level of
maturity of our state and our comprehensive society”, she said.
09:45 Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, was the first political leader to cast his ballot.
"Today is an important day for Kosovo. Kosovo citizens will vote for
the country's future, a new direction that will move Kosovo. I want a
free and democratic elections," said Haradinaj.
09:10 Milivoje Mihajlovic, Serbian government
spokesperson, told Serbian public service broadcaster RTS that he
expected Serbs to come out en masse and win as many seats in the Kosovo
parliament.
"I think the Serbs will come out and get bigger part in the parliament of which their future depends," Mihajlovic said.
08:05
08:00 Valdete Daka, head of the Kosovo Central Election Commission urged all the people to cast their ballot.
07:00 A total of 1,782,454 voters are eligible to
cast ballots at 2,374 polling stations in Kosovo. They will choose
between some 30 parties for seats in the national parliament.