Spaceless Fields

In some photos posted on the Facebook social network of former Democratic Party of Kosovo delegation Sami Lushtaku, the structures of this party gathered at a meeting where safeguards are not respected.

Such meetings were held in Skenderaj.

Kosovo police have not answered Radio Europe's free question about the measures this mechanism may have taken for such gatherings of political parties, which are being held.

But, in 24-hour Kosovo Police reports, hundreds of fines pronounced for citizens who do not respect the Law for the prevention and fighting of COVID-19.

In the past four days alone, Kosovo police have imposed fines on over 3,000 citizens, but no specific violation of the law has been specified. Fines for contempt of this law begin between 35 and 2,000 euros, depending on violations.

In one of the measures against COVID-19 approved by the Kosovo government on 22 December, all public gatherings in public spaces of all forms are banned. Also prohibited are the gathering of citizens into numbers of more than four in public squares, parks, public places, and similar ones.

Chocolate: Campaigns in Electronic Forms

Eugen Cakoli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI), an organisation that monitors election processes in Kosovo, told Free Europe Radio that political subjects, especially large ones, have already started meetings with activists and their supporters.

These activities, Chakoli adds, are taking place daily and especially in rural areas, where neither the minimum measure against is being respected COVIED-19, the disease caused by the new coronary.

This shows a wrong approach that political parties are applying. First of all, it is jeopardising the health of citizens, but on the other hand it is creating an uneven race between political parties, as large political subjects will have more funds available, more opportunities to organise meetings of this type” respectively, he says.

Cakolli adds that political subjects in Kosovo to be closer to voters must change the form of campaign from the physical ones they practiced in the past to the electronic one.

Tolaj: People over 65 to avoid pre-election activities

On the other hand, Ilir Tolaji infectedlog in Kosovo, in a proposal for Radio Free Europe, says the up-to-date flow of pandemic, which has been less aggressive in Kosovo, makes the pre-election campaign organisation easier.

He says that the number of cases of those infected in Kosovo is more numerous than the official number, since, according to him, these cases have been either symptoms or less symptoms, which with limited testing numbers could not be detected.

“The CEC could limit the pre-election campaign to a week because it's not like political parties have what to say more than we've heard so far. Open gatherings are enough to be organized by respecting the mass of wearing a mask, with no restrictions on numbers. While those in closed environments, in addition to wearing a mask on the part of participants, would have to be limited in numbers and avoiding people's long stays in these closed environments”, Tolaj says.

People over 65 who have not passed COVID-19 should avoid pre-election activities, according to Tolay.

The “those who have passed COVID-19 are free to participate in these gatherings, but are in danger of being infected by the seasonal flu if they have not been vaccinated against it so far. There will also be many pre-election arrangements in the homes, and in these cases it will be entirely up to participants to respect some safeguard clause”, Tolaj says.

Elections in Podujevo, North Mitrovica in Pandemi

At the time of pandemic, Kosovo has organised elections on November 29, 2020 in two municipalities -- that of Podujevo and North Mitrovica.

Central Election Commission spokesman Valmir Elezi has told Radio Free Europe that the CEC, from the election process it had in two municipalities in late November, has created separate procedures to adapt to the requirements and needs that come out of this pandemic era.

He adds that by the time elections are announced, they will see whether the procedures adopted for elections held in Podujevo and North Mitrovica need to be updated.

The CEC had prepared separate procedures for holding elections in these municipalities. The registration and voting of persons infected with the new coronary had enabled them to vote through mobile teams.

Meanwhile, under the directive approved for safeguard clauses to be implemented on November 29th, voters were instructed to keep twom apart during their stay at polling stations or at the polls.

They also had to wear protective masks all along, except when they were to be identified by members of the deployment council.

After the collapse of the Kurti Government, Vetevendosje supporters, through a rally in Pristina, sought elections. The Hoti government was toppled in December by the Constitutional Court, which said extraordinary elections must be held.

The extraordinary parliamentary elections in Kosovo came after the Kosovo Constitutional Court ruling, as Etem Arifi's vote, on the occasion of the Avdullah Hoti government vote, on 3 June, was invalid, as there was a penalty of cut form with over a year's imprisonment.

On the basis of the Constitutional Court's conclusion, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's task will have to announce the elections, which should be held no later than 40 days from the day of their proclamation.