All that happened at the CEC meeting, where Serbian List candidates for elections in the north were not certified

The Central Election Commission has decided not to certified the mayoral candidates for the Serbian List for four northern municipalities in which the 19 May elections will be held. Present at today's meeting were only 9 members of the CEC, where 7 of them voted “pro” and 2 others abstained. In this case it took eight votes “pro” for candidates to be certified.

Even though CEC chairman Valdete Daka tried to pass immediately to the vote by avoiding debates that began at yesterday's meeting, appointed member of the CEC after nominating the Vetevendosje Movement, Adnan Rrustemi, received word calling for the Serbian List to be given 24 hours more in order to replace 3 out of four candidates or come up with a public statement distanced from the statements of their candidates, who under the Rrusstems are violating the Constitution by denying Kosovo citizenship.

Rrustemi said their abstention should not be seen as action against Serb participation in the election. He reiterated that the issue of three candidates is interested in leading him to legal law as well, warning that he could send him to the Constitutional Court.

I also propose today that we give the Serbian List 24 hours to replace three out of four candidates or bring a public statement distanced from the content of these statements. [...] We do it as evidence that we are not against Serb participation, we are not against Serbs, we are not voting against their Certificate, but because of the dilemmas we have and the need to clarify this job legally, we will abstain from”, Rrustemi said.

The other CEC member, Florian Dashi, who was nominated after the LDK nomination, has demanded that they not set precedents that could cause even greater problems in the upcoming elections.

Dushi stated that the CEC cannot impose other conditions on political subjects except those that are provided by law, adding that Rrustem's statements that it will exploit other judicial mechanisms for CEC decisions are incorrect.

“If we are sure that everything is legal, it should not be expected that the other instances to correct this institution's decision, but it would be necessary for us personally with a clear conscience and in the sense of preserving unity within this institution in respect of the law and the recommendation of the Office as independent, it has brought about the recommendation that the three subjects that have applied in the north elections meet the legal conditions and that in its function we also act as members of the Central Election Commission. I'm afraid we're creating poor precedents, precedents that could cause us even greater trouble in the upcoming elections”, said Dashi.

CEC member Stevan Veselinovic said there is no basis to reject Serbian List candidates for mayor of northern municipalities in the May 19th elections. He said for the first time in the CEC someone's candidacy is being contested on the basis of a letter of resignation, which he said should not happen.

Veselinovic expressed his concern about the failure to certificate Serbian List candidates for elections in the north, saying this is being done for clean political reasons and cannot be considered anything but an attack on the Serb community.

“I think there has been a precedent that the material we have received here to verify candidates and political parties have received copies of the resignations of mayors in the north. I think this was done for the first time in this institution and that there was no need for this and that's the basis for opposing someone's candidacy and I think that with elections there is no connection or current rules that are worth. [...] With this alone, we do not want to certified these candidates is for pure political reasons, as democratic rights for people to be elected in the elections collapse. I cannot consider this any other than a brutal attack on the Serb community on the Serbian List, which represents this community”, he said.

However, Rrustemi reacted by saying the Serbian List does not represent the Serb community the way they think they do, and that through pressure and threats, it has prevented the running of other Serbs in this election. He addressed criticism even in the direction of President Thaci, accusing him of having initiated the process of declaring elections by legal violation after failing to consult political parties.

Even Dusi said he disagrees with Veselinovic's claims that this is a brutal attack on the Serb community, as he said he does not comply with the Rrustem for new demands on the Serbian List by asking members to respect their legal duty and avoid that language.

CEC Chairman Valdete Daka, consistently wanted to avoid speeches, as she called them, political, saying they should be held in the Kosovo Assembly. She said they are there to respect the Law for Elections, not politics.

Daka added that the Office for Certificate of Four Candidates for four municipalities in northern Kosovo has given positive recommendations for which the vote is required.

“In our authorisations, we have the rating of the candidate application's legitimacy, we have the assessment of the office which is within the CEC, and it has estimated that candidates have met legal conditions, and I repeat legal conditions, prior to this law under which we organise elections and we beyond these criteria cannot go, neither by political demands nor by any other requirements, nor by provisions because we have never done so, nor have authorisation”, Daka said.

Later, Daka demanded that members vote, with 7 votes “pro” out of 9 members not enough to certificate Serbian List candidates. Against this CEC decision, the Serbian List has a 24-hour complaint right.

Otherwise, PDK candidates: Shaqiri Hetemi, Hysen Mehmeti, Ilir Peci and Gonge Cheushi, as well as those of the Vetevendosje Movement: Gen Wessel, Liridona Hariman, Avdi Peci and Erden Adic have been certified by the CEC