Political Science

 The assembly of Kosovo adopted the declaration of independence on February 17, 2008 designating Kosovo a sovereign and autonomous state with its first democratic election held on November 17 2007 this ended the almost decade long United Nations Protectorate over the country
2).As a fledgling democratic state one can expect problems to arise during the nations birth cries so to speak. On December 13, 2009 Kosovo started off its second mayoral election however this election was marred by extensive voter fraud found in several of its key areas resulting in a need for an election rerun.
   In order to understand how this situation came to be we must first take into account the current status of Kosovo as a country. Kosovo holds three European records it has the highest unemployment, the worst infant-mortality rate and the lowest living standards on the European continent. The latest Human Rights Watch report chronicles widespread oppression and discrimination of non-Albanian ethnic minorities  Serbs, Turks and Roma  along with organized crime, rampant corruption and a dysfunctional justice system. Taking all of this into account it is not surprising rather it is to be expected that there would be problems during the first few years of Kosovos democratic independence.
  In the media article the birth of democracy in Kosovo can be likened to the birth of democracy in America during its war for independence, chaotic, uncertain, and yet a work in progress nonetheless. You cannot expect perfection the first time round. In fact you can say that democracy can never be perfect since it is constantly evolving however given time Kosovo can establish a stable democratic regime.
 Regarding if Kosovo falls under the 3 stage model of democratization,  Kosovo rose from the ashes of the former Yugoslavia, whose destruction was caused by the brutal policies of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. This falls under the first category that states a countrys awakening from an authoritarian regime. Next free and fair election did take place on November 17, 2007 which fulfill the requirements of the second stage of democratization and finally a second democratic election has recently occurred completing the 3 stage model of democratization.