OSCE: Elections conducted successfully

OSCE: Elections conducted successfully

PRIŠTINA -- The OSCE in Kosovo has expressed satisfaction that the repeat mayoral elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica they facilitated were carried out successfully.

Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo said he was very pleased with the course of Sunday’s elections, observing that the polling station committees’ members carried out their tasks professionally and some 100 OSCE staff provided all the necessary technical support.

“Furthermore, security providers, including Kosovo Police, EULEX and KFOR, once again stepped up to their task and provided for a safe electoral environment, and I thank them for their hard work,” he added.

Eligible voters were able to cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at a total of 33 polling stations in seven polling centers, the OSCE said in a release on Sunday.

The polling station committees counted the votes at the stations and handed the election materials over to the Central Election Commission through its municipal branch, it added.

The OSCE is facilitating northern Kosovo local elections in line with the EU-brokered agreement on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina reached in Brussels on April 19, 2013.

The second round may be held in four weeks if no candidate has won more than 50 percent of the votes cast on Sunday, the OSCE said.

Goran Rakić, candidate from the Citizens’ Initiative Srpska list, declared first round victory last night.

According to Srpska’s preliminary data, Rakić won a total of 2,707 votes, 271 more than all the three remaining candidates put together.