Political parties do not pay fines

No political party in Kosovo will be able to compete in local elections, unless by August 22nd they pay fines pronounced by the Electoral Panel for Ances and Parashtre (PZAP).

For violations of the code of courtesy, political parties -- participating in the June 11th early parliamentary elections in Kosovo -- were fined by PZAP at about 350m euros.

Mul Descu, head of the Secretariat at PZAP, has told Radio Free Europe that none of the political subjects has repaid all debts.

The “on the basis of a decision, all subjects who have been sentenced by PZAP, the deadline for paying fines has been through December 15th, but since we are now on the eve of local elections, the deadline for making the payment is August 22nd. Political subjects who want to compete in the upcoming local elections cannot be certified without paying fines”, Descu has said.

So far, Descu has added, the coalition of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and Initiative, (coalition PAN), has paid only about 12,000 euros of over 150,000 euros in fines, while other subjects have paid no fines.

Descu has said that after August 22nd he will commit private registrars to all fines that may remain unpaid by political subjects.

The “will wait August 22nd, if these debts are not repaid, we will immediately begin warning political subjects or coalitions that have not paid off debts, and then we will send all the subjects to the private owner's office, then the private owner will have work to complete or cash these fines”, Descu stressed.

The deadline for the application for certificate of political subjects for local elections in Kosovo has begun, and is expected to close on August 22nd.

Central Election Commission spokesman Valmir Elezi has announced to Radio Free Europe that no political subject has yet applied for certificate.

The last <x0fat for submitting applications to be certified for participation in local elections is August 22nd, by this date political subjects have to submit candidate lists for mayors and municipal municipalities, but which so far has not had any application, but has had interest in the possibility of applying to be certified for participation in these”, says Elezly.

The Central Election Commission, he added, will host applications on the part of political subjects and then be reviewed, recommendations will be made and the CEC decides on certificate.

Authorities in the country say they have started preparations for local elections, which will be held on October 22nd 2017.

Local elections will be held in Kosovo's 38 municipalities, and they are expected to elect new mayors and new compositions of municipal assemblies.