The Need for Election Reforms After Recent Disorders

In addition to these problems, voting numbers for parliamentary candidates have been cut off as shortcomings. Because of errors during the count, the CEC had ordered the vote count for 530 seats. After the recount, it was noted that some candidates were favoured and others were damaged within political subjects, thus blaming political party commissioners for these deviations.

They say irregularities that conveyed this election process showed the necessity and need to implement electoral reform.

Accounted irregularities in parliamentary elections process of October 6th, which emerged especially during the vote count phase, followed by voting problems coming from Serbia, those late from the diaspora, as well as the portion of the election day technical administration, according to civil society representatives, should be addressed so as not to repeat in the upcoming election processes in Kosovo.

In addition to these problems, voting numbers for parliamentary candidates have been cut off as shortcomings. Because of errors during the count, the CEC had ordered the vote count for 530 seats. After the recount, it was noted that some candidates were favoured and others were damaged within political subjects, thus blaming political party commissioners for these deviations.

They say irregularities that conveyed this election process showed the necessity and need to implement electoral reform.

The Central Election Commission in a response sent to Radio Free Europe has stressed that after every election process this mechanism analyzes the different aspects of the election process. All of this is handled in the framework of lessons derived from the election process.

So, the CEC records the finds coming out of the election organisation, including priorities or shortcomings. All this is done in order to improve future election processes”, the CEC's response is highlighted.

Election reform, for Eugen Cacol from the Democratic Institute of Kosovo, should be one of the first priorities for the future legislature and such an issue, according to him, should be done on the basis of the inclusion of political subjects.

Cacol says that only in this way can a fair process be guaranteed that is not contested by any party, and above all is acceptable in the procedural aspect.

The main lesson to be learned from these problems is for electoral reforms to be based on strong legal framework so that there can't be a process of electoral reform, even if certain aspects of it are rejected on the part of the Supreme Court after the eventual complaints. Institutions responsible during the election reform process base the reasonableness for changing specific aspects, especially of the procedural aspect, of sending out votes and similar to the problems that have emerged in these elections”, Calolli says.

Cakolli says the share of election day technical management should be taken into account, including major irregularities that have occurred as is the increased number of assistance voting, polling, and the issue of invalid balloting in number is huge.

Early parliamentary elections in Kosovo are held on 6 October this year. The Vetevendosje Movement has won mostly votes, followed by the Democratic League of Kosovo.

Given many irregularities, CEC head Valdete Daka has declared to Public Television that the Certificate of the outcome of the 6 October elections could last until December, clarifying that delays are taking place due to complaints of political subjects and candidates.