For the large majority of Kosovars, November 17, 2001 has been a historic day. This day saw the first parliamentary elections since the end of the NATO air strikes against Serbia in 1999. Moderate Albanian leader and pacifist, Ibrahim Rugova’s party, the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), won the elections, but failed to obtain an absolute majority. More than 65% of all eligible voters cast their vote to elect a 120-seat national assembly, which will then choose a president and a form of “provincial administration”.
Of the 26 political parties that contested the elections, only 14 won seats. The LDK took 47 seats, while the Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK) came second with 26 seats. The Kosova government will perform its duties alongside the UN administration for Kosova and NATO peacekeepers. It is important to note that for the first time since 1999, the local Serb community will obtain a real say in the administration of the province. They will have more than a sixth of the assembly's seats, way over their proportion of the population.

Now, two months after the parliamentary elections, Kosova is still without a president and a government. Rival political leaders Hasim Thaci and Ramush Haradinja, again on January 10, 2002, refused to render their support to Rugova’s candidature. Only 51 parliamentarians voted for Rugova, while he needs 61 of the 120 votes to be elected president.
The UN-sponsored international interim governing body in Kosova has followed these developments with dismay, and Western diplomats describe it as “disgusting”, resembling a parliament with a kindergarten group of politicians fighting each other for personal gain. In essence, Kosova is experiencing a political dilemma for which the international community has no master plan and no provisions in the constitutional framework of a new Kosova.