Bilingual ballots for referendum in Kosovo

Mondo, Belgrade, Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:40

Ballots for voting in Kosovo and Metohija in the referendum on the new constitution of Serbia will be printed in Serbian and Albanian languages, Nenad Popovic, the vice-president of the Coordinating Center and head of the Center's headquarters for organizing the referendum in the Province told Tanjug.

He explained that 261 polling stations would be opened in the Province for citizens to vote in the referendum on the new Serbian constitution.

Approximately 97,000 voters will be able to vote according to cross-checked voter lists from 2004, including Serbs, non-Albanians and a number of citizens of Albanian nationality.

As well as saying that it is expected that citizen turnout in Kosovo and Metohija for the referendum scheduled for October 28 and 29 will be large, Popovic expressed the hope that "some number of Albanians will take part in the referendum".

Popovic, who is the head of the economic team for Kosovo and the south of Serbia, went on to explain that polling booths will be opened in 19 municipalities in five Kosovo district, i.e. 90 polling booths in the Kosovo district, 92 in the Kosovska Mitrovica district, four in the Prizren district, 65 in the Kosovsko Pomoravlje district and 10 polling booths in the Pec district.

"A polling booth is generally set up for at least 100 people but because of the present specific circumstances in Kosovo and Metohija, it is possible to open a booth where there are compact groups of voters even if they number less than 100," said Popovic.