Kosovo raise promise worries IMF

se times

04/01/2011
Anything seems possible on the campaign trail. Now Kosovars wonder: can Thaci deliver?
By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 04/01/11

It was a campaign promise heard around the world, or at least as far as IMF headquarters in Washington.
In the run-up to the December 12th snap elections, candidate Hashim Thaci, the outgoing prime minister, vowed to give 50% raises to teachers in primary and secondary schools. Civil servants in the public sector could expect 30% raises. Retirees could look forward to increased pensions in the year ahead, he also promised.
It was music to the ears of voters, who gave Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) the win, though not by a wide enough margin to govern without a coalition.
That same string of promises rang alarm bells at the IMF, where officials are opposed to wage hikes. ...more...http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/01/04/feature-03read more: se times

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/01/04/feature-03