OSCE approves budget for Kosovo municipal elections in 2002

VIENNA, 19 April 2002 - The OSCE Permanent Council today adopted a decision on the supplementary budget for the 2002 municipal elections in Kosovo.

Ambassador João de Lima Pimentel, Chairman of the Permanent Council, described the decision as a "clear signal of the interest and commitment of all OSCE institutions in contributing to stabilize the Balkan region, promoting democracy and the rule of law".

He recalled Permanent Council Decision Nº 469 of 11 April on the Unified 2002 Budget, which asked for a supplementary budget for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OmiK) to be submitted for approval of the Council at the earliest possible date, in order to allow for the observation and monitoring of the elections.

"The proposed budget of 18,3 million euros represents almost one-third of savings over the 2001 Assembly Elections and substantially greater savings compared to the 2000 Municipal Elections and Joint Registration Taskforce", said Ambassador Pimentel.

The main challenges of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in the preparation and conduct of the 2002 Municipal Elections are:

• to conduct transparent and legitimate elections;



• to manage Out-of-Kosovo voter registration and voting programmes, both within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and abroad, as part of OmiK's own operations rather than through a contractor; and,



• to accelerate the transition of authority to local electoral bodies as a natural extension of capacity-building programs undertaken in 2000 and 2001.