SERBIA: Democratic Party of ex-guerrilla Hashim Thaci confirmed in partial official results from the parliamentary election of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province

Partial official results on Monday (November 19) seemed to confirm victory for the Democratic Party of ex-guerrilla Hashim Thaci in the parliamentary election of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province. Political sources within the PDK told Reuters on Sunday the party would likely seek a coalition with the LDK, its bitter rival since Thaci's guerrillas eclipsed late LDK leader Ibrahim Rugova's policy of passive resistance to Serb rule in the 1990s. The Central Election Commission (CEC) said the results were based on some 80-90 percent of votes counted. The CEC said Thaci's opposition PDK had won 34 percent in Saturday's ballot, beating the once-dominant Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) into second place. The OSCE head of mission in Kosovo read the preliminary results; "The PDK has got 36% (ATTENTION: He misread, actual result 34%) according to these preliminary results, the LDK 21% or twenty one point zero, thirty six point zero (PDK), the AKR has 11.7%." The LDK saw its support collapse to 21% from 45% in 2004. The New Kosovo Alliance of millionaire construction tycoon Behgjet Pacolli came third with 11.7 percent. Turnout was around 45 percent, the lowest since the United Nations took control of the southern Serbian province after a NATO air war to drive out Serb forces in 1999. European observers said the turnout was "alarmingly low" and revealed "profound dissatisfaction" in the Albanian majority province. The Serb minority boycotted the vote in protest at Albanian independence plans.

ITN Source | November 20, 2007

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