The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, expressed hope that Sunday’s elections would mark a positive step for democracy in Kosovo, emphasizing the importance of broad participation across the territory.
“It’s so important that everyone exercises their right to vote all across the country, and I really hope that today’s going to be a good day for democracy in Kosovo,” Hargreaves told reporters during his visit to the polling station at Sveti Sava Elementary School in North Mitrovica.
As observed by KoSSev reporters on the ground, the ambassador followed the voting procedure closely, checking whether the process was running smoothly. According to our information, Hargreaves also visited other municipalities in northern Kosovo.
This is not his first visit to polling stations in the North — the British ambassador did the same during the parliamentary elections in February this year.
“It’s good to be here this morning”
“It’s really good to be here this morning and seeing so many people out to vote — casting their vote to the people they want to represent them,” Hargreaves said, adding that he was impressed by the level of organization.
“This is such an important municipal election for Kosovo, all over the country. I’m very impressed with the work that has gone into preparation of these elections. I’ve just come from the Central Election Commission in Pristina, I met the chair there and the police who are leading the operation to make sure that these elections go smoothly, and are fair and inclusive,” he explained.
When asked about his impressions of the Sveti Sava polling station, Hargreaves said he had been told that “so far, things are going according to plan.”
“Of course, it’s a long day, and we’ll see how things turn out all over the country, but it’s great just to see so much participation and that things appear to be smooth so far.”
On CEC’s decision to deny accreditation to Serbian-language media: “Glad it was reversed”
Finally, when asked about the Central Election Commission’s earlier decision to deny accreditation to most Serbian-language media — a decision later reversed following strong international pressure — the ambassador did not comment directly on the matter.
However, he stressed the importance of allowing media to cover the elections.
“It’s important that these elections are monitored and reported on by everybody who is eligible under the law. I was very glad that there was a second decision which enabled almost all of the channels to be accredited, as I understand it — in accordance with Kosovo’s laws.
This is very important for Kosovo’s democracy and, I think, for the people of Kosovo and the region, to be able to understand what’s going on, to have their views, and to be able to vote knowledgeably, and on the basis of the best possible information,” Hargreaves said.
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