Permanent Council adopts budget for 2001 Kosovo elections

VIENNA, 1 June 2001 (OSCE) - The OSCE Permanent Council has decided to adopt a supplementary budget for the holding of Kosovo-wide elections on 17 November 2001.

The supplementary budget for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, approved on 31 May, amounts to a total of 21,650,000 euros. This money will be used for two core tasks - updating the voters' list and organizing the election itself.

Last year, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, as part of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, compiled a civil and voters register of almost one million people. There were, however, some people who did not register at that time and others who have returned to Kosovo since that initial registration took place.

In coming months, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo will be making sure that the voters' list is as comprehensive as possible, launching a six-week drive to update it.

This is being done both within and outside Kosovo to ensure that all eligible voters have a chance to participate.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo will be building on its experience of running the successful municipal election held last year. This range of tasks runs from checking the eligibility of parties and candidates to preparing the ballot paper.

The work will continue in the months to come to ensure that Kosovo has an election which is up to the OSCE's high standards of transparency, fairness and accuracy.

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For more information please contact Claire Trevena, Spokesperson, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, tel: (+381-38) 500-162 ext. 260, mobile: +377 (044) 500-150; email: press@omik.org, website: www.osce.org/kosovo.