KOSOVO: Kosovo's legislative assembly elected the moderate ethnic Albanian leader, Mr Ibrahim Rugova, president yesterday. In another major step towards self-rule for the troubled province, currently under UN administration, it chose a prime minister and government.
Mr Rugova said his aim was to "build a society of tolerance, understanding, reconciliation among the people and respect for each other". Kosovo's multi-ethnic assembly voted in a single ballot for the president, prime minister and cabinet. The prime minister, Mr Bajram Rexhepi, is a moderate within the party of former guerrilla leader Mr Hashim Thaci.
The vote yesterday resulted from a power-sharing agreement reached last week between the leaders of the main ethnic Albanian parties, supervised by the UN administrator for the province, German diplomat Michael Steiner.
"This is a good day for Kosovo. These are men who will work for the interest of Kosovo," Mr Steiner told journalists at a joint press conference with Mr Rugova and Mr Rexhepi.
Mr Rugova's League of Democratic Kosovo won 47 seats in the assembly in November's elections in the province. It will share power with Mr Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.
"Kosovo's government under my leadership will work towards consolidating the democratic institutions and will bear responsibility and be transparent," Mr Rexhepi told journalists.
The majority ethnic Albanian population seeks independence for the province from Belgrade rule.