The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, praised the citizen turnout in today’s local elections, calling it an important moment for democracy in Kosovo.
In an interview with Ekonomia Online from Drenas, Ambassador Hargreaves said it was encouraging to see participation from all communities across the country.
“It has been a wonderful day so far. We have visited several polling stations in northern Kosovo and now here in Drenas. It’s great to see so many people taking part in these elections. It is really important that people from all different communities come out to vote. From what we’ve seen so far, turnout is very good. That’s the best thing we can hope for. It will be a long day, but a great one for the ongoing development of democracy in Kosovo,” Hargreaves said during his visit to the ‘Rasim Kiçina’ polling center in Drenas Municipality.
When asked about the organized voting process by the Serb List in northern Kosovo—criticized by some as a violation of election rules—Hargreaves said that assessing legality was not within his mandate, but emphasized that citizens must be free to vote for those who best represent their interests.
“I will not comment on whether it was within or outside the law. It’s not for me to judge that. I think it’s a good thing that people from all of Kosovo’s diverse communities are voting today. In the last local elections, they did not participate, so it’s very important that they have done so this time. It will be up to the Central Election Commission and others to determine whether procedures were followed. But what matters most is that people vote freely for those they believe will serve them best in their communities,” the ambassador stated.
Hargreaves made these remarks during his visit to Drenas, where he observed the voting process at the “Rasim Kiçina” polling station.