Thaci and Sejdiu headed for victory at November 17 polls
Western diplomats have placed bets on results of upcoming elections in Kosovo, with hopes flying high for former separatist guerrilla leader turned politician, Hashim Thaci.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thaci, a long-time protégé of Washington's democrats, is widely expected to replace the late Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova at the top of Kosovo's political scene after the November 17 polls, scheduled amid ongoing negotiations with Serbia on the future status of the province.
However, Western diplomats described Kosovo elections as a "process within the process" largely due to the obvious cracks in Albanian negotiating team, as another deadline slowly comes to the sight.
Leaders of two most popular parties, Thaci and the province's president Fatmir Sejdiu, according to diplomats, have pledged their utmost dedication to future advices of the Western leaders, unlike the most probable losers, Veton Surroi and indicted war criminal Ramush Haradinaj, whose parties trail way behind Thaci's and Sejdiu's.
Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), according to the latest polls, can count on some 32 per cent of votes, way short of absolute majority, but just enough to embrace its new partner on the political scene, the "Rugova-less" Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).
LDK, which controlled the Albanian politics in Kosovo since early 1990's, suffered a serious a setback after the death of its long-time leader Rugova, but still enjoys support which could be only matched by PDK.
Western diplomats argue that changes at the top of Kosovo's political elite might bring some fresh ideas in the Albanian negotiating team, making it more likely to accept the compromise with Belgrade.
Former "champions of democracy" in Pristina, Surroi and the province's Prime Minister Agim Ceku have been recently described as "hard-line supporters of unilateral declaration of independence in Kosovo, even without Western consent".
Surroi's party "Ora" can count on just some 8 per cent of support in elections, far behind other members of the future opposition block which includes local mogul Bexhet Pacoli with 14, and Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosovo with 11 per cent.