Pristina, 17 November 2001 (RFE/RL) -- Polls closed throughout Kosovo Saturday night in the election to choose a National Assembly for the U.N.-administered province in southern Serbia. Unofficial results are expected later today. Official results are not due until Monday.
Today's voting was monitored by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE says that by mid-afternoon, only 18 percent of eligible Serbian voters had taken part, compared with 50 percent for the province's ethnic Albanians.
At the same time, the OSCE says turnout was around 33 percent at polling stations elsewhere in Yugoslavia where Serbs and other Kosovo minorities who fled the province were allowed to vote. No major incidents were reported.
Top OSCE election official Peter Erben called the response a "good overall turnout."
More than 1 million people were eligible to vote for the 120-seat assembly, which will later choose a president and an administration for the province.
Today's voting was monitored by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE says that by mid-afternoon, only 18 percent of eligible Serbian voters had taken part, compared with 50 percent for the province's ethnic Albanians.
At the same time, the OSCE says turnout was around 33 percent at polling stations elsewhere in Yugoslavia where Serbs and other Kosovo minorities who fled the province were allowed to vote. No major incidents were reported.
Top OSCE election official Peter Erben called the response a "good overall turnout."
More than 1 million people were eligible to vote for the 120-seat assembly, which will later choose a president and an administration for the province.