EULEX won't recognize Kosovska Mitrovica elections

EULEX officials will not recognize the results of elections organized by Belgrade that will be held for selecting municipal administrators in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, May 25, 2010

EULEX spokesperson Kristina Herodes said that the EU mission does not recognize the so-called parallel structures and that this is why the elections will not be recognized.

She said that EULEX will, however, continue to cooperation with the leaders of the community.

UNMIK spokesperson Russel Geekie told the Tanjug news agency that the UN mission learned about the elections from the media but that UNMIK has not been officially informed.

"We were not informed by Belgrade or anyone else officially. Since UNMIK is status neutral, it would not be appropriate for us to have any opinion regarding this either way," he said.

There are 20,366 registered voters in northern Kosovska Mitrovica who will be voting at 26 polling stations on May 30.

Most of the main Serbian political parties will be participating in the election with their officials after Belgrade dissolved the Kosovska Mitrovica assembly on December 24, 2009, introducing a temporary administration.