Low Serb turnout mars Kosovo vote

Ethnic Albanian leaders aspire to independence

Counting is taking place in Kosovo, following a day of voting in local elections that are seen as a test of the prospects for democracy in the southern Yugoslav province.

It is the second municipal election there since Kosovo came under United Nations administration in 1999 - and the first in which the minority Serbs are taking part.

However officials say early indications are that many of them did not vote.

Guns were barred from polling stations

Overall turnout is estimated at over 50% by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which supervised the election.

However by mid-afternoon, only 16% of Serbs eligible to vote had done so.

Hard-line Serb leaders had urged people to stay at home, saying the UN has not done enough to improve conditions for the province's Serb population.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian community largely chose between supporters of President Ibrahim Rugova and those of ex-rebel leader Hashim Thaci.

Both leaders have said the elections are a crucial step towards independence for Kosovo.

Boycott call

Voters in 30 municipalities were choosing 920 local councillors.

The international community encouraged Serbs to vote.

Moderate Serbs leaders did vote

"If you want change, you have to participate," said Kosovo's UN governor, Michael Steiner.

Moderate Serb leaders, both in Kosovo and in Belgrade, also favoured participation.

But others took a different view.

The leader of the Serb community in the divided town of Mitrovica called on Serbs to vote only in the five municipalities where they form a majority.

And the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Seselj, has called for a total boycott.

The Serbs are embattled, impoverished and outnumbered 10 to one by the Albanian majority. They are deeply fearful of losing their remaining ties to Belgrade.

Among the Albanians, opinion polls show widespread disillusionment with parties across the political spectrum - a feature of several recent Balkan elections.

In Serbia, presidential elections had to be annulled altogether after turnout fell below the legal minimum, following another boycott led by Mr Seselj.