Voters went to the polls Sunday, December 12th in Kosovo’s first parliamentary election since it declared independence from Serbia two years ago. It’s a major test of the fledgling nation’s political maturity and the outcome could have an impact on stability in the Balkans.
NATO forces – including Canada – intervened in 1999 to stop the Serbian Army from committing ‘ethnic cleansing’ against Kosovo’s Muslim Albanian majority. Immediately after the war, Kosovo fell under the control of the United Nations and Canada sent 1,470 peacekeeping troops as part of an international stabilization force.
Kosovo officially declared independence in 2008 which was recognized by only some 70 western countries including Canada. Serbia, Russia, Spain, Greece are among the majority of nations that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. The optimism seen in Kosovo two years ago has been dampened by an unemployment rate of 45 per cent and government corruption.
Global National’s Foreign Editor Stuart Greer has more from the Kosovo capital Pristina.
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