Is full recount necessary? What Election Monitors and CEC say

Election process monitors have shown different attitudes about delays that may appear in the Certificate of results on February 14th. At the Kosovo Institute for Justice, they do not see it possible for the Supreme Court to decide for total recounting of votes, while in the organisation “, arise” say that such a thing is necessary, despite the sequences that could be created in the institutional institution's constitutional delays. Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission (KQZ) is awaiting the Supreme Court's decision to take the next action.

Yll Zekiaj from the IKD tells Kosovo that they do not expect to have procrastinate elections, as according to him, the Supreme can address recounting only at certain locations.

We don't expect much procrastination of this election from this. Even these choices enter the opital Certificate time as they did in the past years. We expect very soon that election certificate will be made so that we can go to the second phase of consisting of institutions Kosovo. In the Supreme Court, we do not see this danger sent to a full recount. The most we believe will be an address to individual complaints by candidates about the locations where it claims the results have been diverted and, respectively, were damaged in favour of other candidates”, he says.

In contrast, the executive director of the non-governmental organisation Cohu, Arton Demhaja, sees the recounting of all votes of candidates for MPs.

He acknowledges that such a thing would delay the process, but he would restore legitimacy.

If there is a decision by the Supreme Court to go completely to recount, this could delay the process. As we're talking about about 900 thousand votes that need time. Counting some locations cannot be too late. It's delayed, but not too long. But if it is decided to recount all of which I think is necessary based on those who were seen (the allegations of vote manipulation within the parties), a perception that there are frauds in the voting counting process, especially within party lists for candidates. An impression has been created that if it goes to recounting it could have all the other lists of political parties for MPs. There are frauds behind and receiving votes from one candidate to another. So I think it's necessary (full recount) if there's enough evidence”, he declares.

While CEC spokesman Valmir Elezi says they are pending the Supreme Court's decision-making and then taking the next basic steps the same.

To certified the final outcome of the election process, the CEC is in the phase that must implement decisions stemming from PZAP and the Supreme Court. Of those two institutions, candidates are unhappy with the final outcome. The CEC can file their complaints. Of course. The CEC implements the decisions of these institutions. In implementing these decisions, the CEC procedures away to determine the final outcome of the elections and to complete the” election process, Elez said.

At the end of this week takes place a month from the day of parliamentary elections in Kosovo. As the final results have been announced by the CEC, the same have not yet been certified to pave the way for institution-restitution.

We remember that early elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, 2014 and 2017 have taken almost the same time to close. From Election Day to Certificate of Results, the CEC has taken 27 days in 2014 and 28 days in 2017. The number of recounted locations has been 21% 22% of the deployments.

The 2019 elections, however, from election day to certificate have been closed within 53 days. In 2019 the process has lasted even longer because of the large number of recounted deployments, about 90% of them or 2254 out of 247 seats.