Allegations of manipulation delay certificate of election result

Also, with the CNR recommendation, the Central Election Commission (KQZ) approved the requirement for recounting the vote of seven pollings, which have been counted by persons suspected of involvement in manipulation.

Florentina Gjerlja, candidate for deputy of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), has won one of her first battles since involvement in politics. PZAP has sent all conditional and AAK votes back to a recount, as Gjerj claims that irregularities have occurred during the count of these votes, which cost her the loss of the MP post.

I and my next headquarters have been following the result since the release of the CEC forms. Part of the headquarters have been experts in election processes and judicial experts. We have noted changes in the results of one of the candidates, who has not been in line with the number of votes won by subject”, says Gjergjaj told Radio Free Europe.

I personally trust institutions and whatever the final decision is from institutions, I will respect”, she adds.

What are you arguing about?

In its appeal, Florentina Gjerschaj has said that until the count of conditional votes and those by mail, she and the other candidate from the AAK, Albana Bytyqi, had more votes than candidate Melzal Haradinaj-Subla, who is also the acting minister of foreign affairs and Diaspore.

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The total AAK has received about 3 thousand conditional and postal votes, out of which, according to the EU, 709 votes have gone in favour of Melza Haradinaj- Staubla.

The “is incredible that only one of the candidates on the AAK list will change continued position during conditional vote count and post-mail” is added to the appeal.

In decision, PZAP has also been called to a video published in a local portal where three people are seen allegedly discussing the counterfeiting of votes for the AAK candidate in the QNR.

Haradinaj- Staubla has dismissed these accusations as groundless. In a Facebook response, she said she enjoys PZAP's decision.

This recounting is one step before the rise of the installed recording claiming my husband's involvement in the theft of votes! I repeat, with full conviction that neither I nor my husband, nor any family member of mine is involved in any of the public claims that were made and are continuing to be made by the cydudo-portal assigned according to certain orders, and to end the slander, insults, and blackmail at my address and at my”, she said.

How much is the manipulation possible in the QNR?

This is the first time in Kosovo, which after declaring the final result, is ordered to recount votes for candidates for MPs.

At the Counting and Results Centre, commissioners dealing with the counting process are employed by the CEC, but observers of political subjects and non-governmental organisations are allowed to monitor the process.

CEC officials do not comment on whether any concessions could lead to manipulation of the result, but say this institution has invited the prosecution to investigate the claims raised.

After publishing the news media, the CEC has reacted immediately, contacting the State Prosecutor. Like the CEC, we have provided all the information and materials necessary for the investigation and complete dawn of the” case, CEC spokesman Valmir Elezi told Radio Free Europe.

The network of organisations dealing with election monitoring, Democracy in Action (DnV) considers it important to investigate the recount process and invites other candidates with doubts to co-operate with the prosecution.

The “should be expected to recount these seven polling positions, which the CEC, at the recommendation of the CNR, has sent to the recount, as well as the process of recounting on bail and mail, of subject AAK. If after the recount turns out there were massive manipulation schemes, since we're talking about hundreds of votes, then you should see whether to go to a full recount. If anyone can manipulate hundreds of votes along with two or three, then this scheme may have occurred at other locations”, the Eugen Calcoli of the DneV told Radio Free Europe.

However, he is skeptical that such a fraud scheme can function so easily.

“Recognising the way the data is fulfilled in the QNR, I doubt a scheme of such sizes could happen when we're talking about hundreds of votes. Our observers have said that there have been observers of political subjects, of NGOs who have followed the process and to carry out such a scheme of manipulation of results, greater involviance of election process” should be involved, Cakolli added.

PZAP has dismissed several other complaints of candidates, including from the New Kosovo Alliance ranks, who have competed on the joint list with the Democratic League of Kosovo.

Some of them, including Jtlir Zyberyan of the AKR, have warned they will complain at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, AAK's elected deputy, Beko Berisha, has called for full recount of all votes.

The CEC has announced the final results of early parliamentary elections on 4 March.

Their certificate could take another few days, since PZAP has approved several appeals of candidates and political subjects, meanwhile, have the same option, him at the Supreme Court.