Page:Report on the Elections of the Kosovo Assembly 23 October 2004 Cgbur 11 74 E public.pdf/16

 9. RESULTS

Elections results: LDK 45.42% (47), PDK 28.85% (30), AAK 8.39% (9), ORA 6.23% (7). Serb List for Metohija (8), Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party, KDTP (2), Citizens Initiative Serbia, GIS (2).

10. SOME OBSERVATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Whilst the Congress delegation was satisfied with the organisation and conduct of the election and with the successful transfer by OSCE of substantial electoral responsibilities to local bodies, it drew attention to some possible improvements for the future.

It considered that the plethora of political entities, often with little difference from one to another, risked voter confusion and may have hindered genuine democratic choice. The delegation noticed that the campaign tended to focus more on personalities than political platforms. It suggests that thought be given in future elections to open rather than closed lists and to the development of a more constituency-based representative system.

The notion of setting aside seats reserved for minorities is debatable. It is probably justifiable in a transitional period, in order to ensure that, in the specific conditions of Kosovo, minorities are assured of seats in the Assembly that otherwise they may not have.

Whilst the delegation accepts that remaining discrepancies in the electoral lists, in the absence of a census or a full updating of the civil registry, necessitate recourse to conditional voting, it nonetheless hopes that this can be substantially reduced in future elections.