VZCZCXRO7887
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPS #0687/01 2571440
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141440Z SEP 07
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7698
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1278
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHFMISS/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000687 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR 
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2017 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM UNMIK YI KV
SUBJECT: KOSOVO ELECTIONS: 64 PARTIES, INCLUDING SOME SMALL 
SERB PARTIES, SUBMIT CANDIDATE LISTS ON TIME 
 
REF: PRISTINA 668 
 
Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: After extending the deadline twice, the 
Central Elections Commission (CEC) received applications late 
September 12 from 64 political parties, coalitions, citizens' 
initiatives and independent candidates for the November 17 
elections at the central and municipal levels.  Albanian 
party wrangling over coalitions and candidates continued at a 
fever pitch right up to the deadline, with several 
late-breaking changes to the lists.  A total of eight Serb 
political entities - six on the central level, two on the 
local level - have registered despite Belgrade's call for a 
boycott on September 13.  While the northern hardliners will 
likely join Belgrade in rejecting Serb participation, 
moderates tell us that Serbs need to vote, at least in order 
to avoid undesirable participants (such as former Returns 
Minister Slavisa Petkovic) from taking office.  In a last 
minute piece of bad news, the negative Belgrade stance on 
Kosovo Serb participation has evidently prompted Serb 
moderate Oliver Ivanovic to reconsider his party's engagement 
in elections, and he has confirmed to USOP that his party 
will not register for central elections.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) The Central Election Commission (CEC) Secretariat 
received applications from 50 political entities for 
municipal elections and 36 for mayoral elections. 
Twenty-five entities applied for the Kosovo Assembly, down 
from 32 in the 2004 elections, before the five percent 
threshold for Albanian parties was introduced.  Party 
presidents Fatmir Sejdiu, Ramush Haradinaj, Hashim Thaci, and 
Nexhat Daci top the candidates lists of the Democratic League 
of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), 
Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and LDK offshoot party, the 
Democratic League of Dardania (LDD), respectively. 
 
FIVE PERCENT THRESHOLD INSPIRES COALITIONS 
 
¶3. (SBU)  With the parliamentary threshold set at a 
relatively high five percent, both the two largest parties, 
LDK and PDK, and the LDD picked up candidates from the 
smaller parties.  The two current Christian Democratic Party 
MPs divided their loyalties between the LDK and LDD.  LDK 
also picked up support from the Albanian National Democratic 
Party (PNDSH).  Bujar Bukoshi, a former shadow government 
Prime Minister who left the LDK years ago to form the New 
Party of Kosovo (PREK), returned to the fold.  Solo Liberal 
Party (PLK) MP Gjergj Dedaj joined the PDK list, as did 
Social Democrat (PSDK) Kaqusha Jashari and Democratic 
Alternative of Kosovo (ADK, founded by LDK defectors) 
president Edita Tahiri. 
 
¶4. (SBU) After much discussion, the moderate Islamic Justice 
Party (PD) did not join forces with wealthy Swiss emigre 
businessman Bexhet Pacolli's New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) party 
and will likely lose its Assembly seat as a result.  Both AKR 
and Veton Surroi's ORA party decided to go it alone and did 
not join forces with any other political entity, but did run 
some civil society figures.  Of the E.O.-listed radical 
parties and individuals, LKCK is on its own and unlikely to 
meet the threshold, but LPK's Emrush Xhemajli joined PDK and 
is high on the list.  However, ideological cohorts and fringe 
PDK MPs Nait Hasani and Hydajet Hyseni are much lower on the 
PDK list than in 2004 (#39 and #42 rather than #22 and #13). 
 
SO YOU WANT TO BE A MAYOR? 
 
¶5. (C) This first direct election of mayors has attracted the 
parties' most high-profile members and inspired the ruling 
LDK party to do some weeding of its list to stay competitive. 
 Peja mayor Ali Lajci (LDK), known to us for his unhelpful 
behavior regarding the Serb Orthodox Pec Patriarchate in his 
municipality, will not run again.  And, after much 
intra-party debate, the LDK put forward President Sejdiu 
adviser Isa Mustafa for Pristina mayor rather than allowing 
unpopular Ismet Beqiri to run for another term.  PDK's Fatmir 
 
PRISTINA 00000687  002 OF 003 
 
 
Limaj, a popular figure widely seen as PDK president Hashim 
Thaci's chief rival, is also running for Pristina mayor. 
Other mayoral highlights include Sami Lushtaku (PDK) for 
Skenderaj mayor, Jakup Krasniqi (PDK) for Drenas mayor, 
former PDK PM Bajram Rexhepi for Mitrovica mayor, and 
respected MP Enver Hoxhaj for mayor of Suhareke.  (NOTE: The 
LDK has won control of Pristina every year since 1999.  If 
history is any guide, LDK will take Mitrovica and Suhareke, 
but PDK will win in their strongholds of Drenas and 
Skenderaj. Lushtaku and Limaj are both E.O.-listed.  END 
NOTE.)  The reformist ORA party put forward popular MPs Teuta 
Sahatqija and Gazmend Muhaxherri for mayor of Gjakove and 
Peja, respectively. 
 
SOME SERBS IN THE GAME... 
 
¶6. (SBU) Also by the September 12 deadline, five Serb parties 
had thrown their hats into the ring, with a smaller number of 
groups also looking to participate at the local level.  The 
list includes Slobodan Petrovic's Independent Liberal Party 
(SLS), Returns Minister Branislav Grbic's New Democracy Party 
(ND), Dragisa Miric's Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Party 
(SKMS), the newly-formed Alliance of Independent Social 
Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija (SNSDKIM), and the Alliance 
of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija), led 
by former Returns Minister Slavisa Petkovic, who is still 
active in politics despite being forced to resign from the 
government after he was implicated in an embezzlement 
scandal. 
 
...DESPITE DISCOURAGEMENT 
 
¶7. (C) Belgrade announced its official discouragement of Serb 
participation in Kosovo central elections September 13, in a 
government statement declaring that "basic conditions for the 
safe and free life of Serbs have not been secured" in Kosovo. 
 Northern hardline leader Marko Jaksic said September 12 that 
"Kosovo Serbs should not be interested much in Kosovo local 
and parliamentary elections."  SNC North leader Milan 
Ivanovic told ICO representative James Nunan the same on 
September 12, and also noted to UNMIK Mitrovica 
representative Gerry Gallucci on the same day that he and 
other hardliners would meet "soon" to issue a joint statement 
against Serb participation.  It does not appear that the 
Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) will join the calls for a 
boycott; SOC insider Maria Gavric told poloff September 14 
that Bishop Artemije, though opposed to elections in 
principle, will likely refrain from making any statement on 
the subject. 
 
IVANOVIC NOT RUNNING, BUT CONSIDERS PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT 
 
¶8. (C) Despite his criticism of fellow Serbs who discourage 
Serb participation in Kosovo elections - and his statement to 
COM September 10 that he would participate "no matter what" 
Belgrade says -  Oliver Ivanovic announced September 14 that 
his party, the Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM), 
would not participate.  Ivanovic, one of the  most 
high-profile Kosovo Serb politicians, cited the lack of 
support from Belgrade as the deciding factor.  Ivanovic told 
us that Belgrade's blessing would be important to avoid the 
election of "idiots" like former Minister for Returns 
Petkovic, a sentiment that has been seconded by many Serbs in 
recent days.  On September 9, SNC Gracanica head Rada 
Trajkovic appeared on Serb media, warning that Serbs would 
lose political power in the southern Serb-majority 
municipalities of Strpce and Novo Brdo if they boycotted 
elections, adding that Kosovo is "not only the northern 
municipalities," and that Serbs in the south should have 
stronger support from Belgrade. 
 
¶9. (C) There may have been other factors involved in 
Ivanovic's last-minute decision not to participate.  Ivanovic 
reported that CCK observers monitored his meetings in the 
Serb-majority area of Partes (current Gnjilane/Gjilan 
municipality) as he was finalizing the SLKM electoral list, 
and that a potential candidate in Ranilug had been so 
 
PRISTINA 00000687  003 OF 003 
 
 
unnerved by Belgrade pressure that he might not run.  He also 
told us that SLKM Assembly member Vesna Jovanovic was 
particularly nervous about her participation due to pressure 
from Belgrade. 
 
¶10. (C) COMMENT:  Despite initial grumbling by some Kosovo 
Albanian parties about holding elections before resolution of 
Kosovo's final status, all have now accepted that central and 
municipal elections will happen on November 17 and have 
gotten their candidate lists in on time.  First-ever open 
candidate lists and direct election of mayors have forced the 
parties to put forth popular (and hopefully more accountable) 
figures on their candidate lists.  Regarding Kosovo Serbs, 
Oliver Ivanovic's decision not to participate was a 
disappointment, but we will continue to encourage Serbs to 
participate in the elections in any event.  Next steps in the 
elections process are the vetting of candidates and the 
effort to educate voters on the complicated 5-ballot process. 
 END COMMENT. 
KAIDANOW