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| Constitution andlaw |
Legislature |
Parliamentary elections to the Assembly of Kosovo (Albanian:Kuvendi i Kosovës,Serbian Cyrillic:Скупштина Косова,transliteratedSkupstina Kosova) have been held eight times since 2001, with the latest in February 2021.[1] The Assembly was an institution within theProvisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) established by theUnited Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to provide 'provisional, democratic self-government' in advance of a decision on thefinal status of Kosovo.Kosovo, formerly a province ofSerbia, came underUN administration in 1999 and unilaterally declared its independence in February 2008. The Assembly elected in 2007 continued in office after the declaration of independence.
Since theKosovo War, the country has held four parliamentary elections, one every three years, in 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010 respectively. The first two were administered by theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the second two monitored by the international community, with the OSCE and other observing groups concluding that these elections were generally fair and free.
Under Kosovo's constitutional framework, which established the PISG, elections were to be held every three years for the Assembly. The Assembly then in turn elects a president and prime minister. The Assembly had 120 members elected for a three-year term: 100 members elected byproportional representation, and 20 members representing national minorities (10 Serbian, four Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian, three Bosniak, two Turkish and one Gorani). Under the new constitution of 2008, the guaranteed seats for Serbs and other minorities remains the same, but in addition they may gain extra seats according to their share of the vote. Kosovo has amulti-party system, with numerousparties and the system of proportional representation and guaranteed minority representation means that no one party is likely to have a parliamentary majority. In addition, a minimum number of ministers were and remain reserved for Serbs and other minorities. Thevoting age in Kosovo is 18.[2][3]
According to UNMIK practice, Serbian national referendums and elections for Parliament and President were allowed in Kosovo, but local elections were organized separately by UNMIK and the PISG. In spite of this, Serbia carried out local elections in Kosovo in 2008; these were not recognized by UNMIK.[citation needed]
The Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija is a local government created by the Serbian minority in the Kosovo city ofMitrovica in response to the2008 Kosovo declaration of independence.[4] The first elections for the Assembly took place on May 11, 2008[5] to coincide with the2008 Serbian local elections.
In theBrussels agreement, the government of Serbia agreed to integrate Kosovo Serb political structures into the government of Kosovo.
