KFOR: successfully completed the parliamentary elections in Kosovo

09/06/14

With the closing of the seats and the related counting operations, the electoral round ended late yesterday evening to elect parliamentary representatives and form the new government in Kosovo.

Voting involved all of Kosovo including the north of the country without distinction of ethnicity or belonging.

For the first time in the history of the Balkan country, citizens residing in the majority Serb municipalities in the north went to the polls to elect their representatives who will sit in the parliamentary assembly in Pristina.

The voting operations, which began in the morning, were held in the highest order in a peaceful, democratic and peaceful atmosphere.

The Kosovo Force (KFOR), under whose command the Major General Salvatore FARINA has been placed since last September, has contributed significantly, together with the Kosovo Police and the international personnel belonging to the EULEX mission of the European Union, to guaranteeing security. citizens who went to the polls as well as observers from the OSCE and other international and local organizations who were able to regularly carry out all the operations connected with the electoral process.

In recent days, a thorough preparatory activity was carried out, aimed at the detailed planning of the operation: at this stage KFOR's staff paid particular attention to ensuring the presence of the forces in the areas considered to be at highest risk with particular regard to the part North of the country where most of the Serbian citizens are concentrated who went to the polls for the first time in Pristina-led political elections.

On the day of the election the KFOR military, the Kosovo Police officers and those of EULEX have guaranteed a discreet and non-invasive presence in the vicinity of the seats.

In particular, the Italian army unit, based on the 52nd "Torino" land artillery regiment, operated in the western part of Kosovo coordinating the activities of the multinational forces of Austria, Moldova and Slovenia while the carabinieri, included in the Task Force under American, have concentrated their presence in the north: all under the Italian-led KFOR command.

“The peaceful climate in which the elections were held demonstrates, once again, the maturity reached by the people of Kosovo and the degree of effectiveness and professionalism of the local police forces. The large participation of citizens of different ethnic groups and minorities is an evident manifestation of the democratic spirit that animates the inhabitants of this part of the Balkans ”. General Farina said on the occasion of his meeting with the commanders and with all the multinational personnel of the contingents of KFOR and with the Italian units of the army and the carabinieri returning from the deployment areas at the end of the operation.

"I thank all of you for the excellent result achieved. Thanks to the professionalism and the excellent level of preparation that distinguishes all the KFOR soldiers this historic moment could have an absolutely favorable epilogue. I take this opportunity to thank in particular the Kosovo Police, the agents of EULEX, the representatives and the operators of the OSCE, of the European Union and of the other International Organizations as well as the Central and Local Authorities of Kosovo with whom we worked with elbow in the last month for the preparation and execution of this important and demanding operation that ended without incident and that, we can no doubt store, as a 'success story', a milestone in the process of normalization of relations between Pristina and Belgrade an example of democracy and pluralism ".

NATO and KFOR will continue to provide a safe environment and freedom of movement for all Kosovo citizens under the mandate provided for by the UN Security Council's 1244 resolution.

Source: Public Affairs Office HQ KFOR Film City - Prishtina, Kosovo