Opposition does not support changes to the Law for Elections, calls for comprehensive reform

The position of such a change in the Law for Choice has also attempted to make it before the country's president is elected, but since then the objections have been attracted by this initiative.

The chairman of the Commission for Legislation, Adnan Rrustemi, says it is important to address electoral reforms, but to declare that the priority of all cases is that the letter is to enable voting at embassies and consulates.

Although it does not give a date when this party will again submit to the Assembly the completion of the Law for Elections, it says this will be done very soon so that the same is ready for local elections to be held in the autumn.

The “is being addressed and electoral reform needs to be addressed, but it's a priority that as soon as the obstacles surfaced in the recent elections, especially in terms of participation of fellow countrymen improve as soon as possible, we have local elections and we don't have to repeat the same issues. While the electoral reform issue can continue along the legislature, to improve the more specific aspects by having a profound and broad discussion on issues that maybe even different views... it's important to improve this element and I believe will be made too soon to have our fellow countrymen vote in the autumn for local elections to vote apart from by mail, even in embassies and consulate<1>, he says.

But opposition parties reject such an idea to only fulfill the election Law changes, which require that there be comprehensive electoral reform.

MP The PDK, simultaneously a member of the Commission for Legislation, Hajdar Beqa, says that as a party, they consider Kosovo needs a deep electoral reform, but says of a reform resulting from consensus on the entire political spectrum.

He says they are in favour of facilitating the voting process for exiles, but who says they are opposed to this being done only by completing the current Law for Elections.

The Democratic Party is for deep electoral reform, and I have seen the proposal from the political subject. The LVV, which has urgently brought it to the Commission for Legislation and at the same time, also for the House of the Republic of Kosovo session, has nothing to do with an election reform. The reform does not take part by changing the law, but should probably be changed into a broad legislative range, which will make an inclusion of reform, but ahead of time there should be political consultations”, he says.

While the head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo Parliamentary Group, Besnik Tahiri, says that as a party of electoral reform, they see it as an extremely important process for the country, and in order to realise that a consensus of the entire political spectrum is needed.

He says he will not support the Vetevendosje Movement's initiative to do only fulfil the Law's election change.

“We are against and will not participate in reform for the sake of face-to-face, we will always be a supporter of a reform that has a process of preliminary consultation... we are against, we will not support unilateral political election agendas that the power made in relation to the Election Law. The election law is the basis of democracy, anyone who attempts to affect the election law without question and preliminary consultation with acts of parliamentary political parties, not parliamentary society, the international factor aims to capture power through the Law for Elections”, he says.

Against meeting the Law for Elections is also civil society, until electoral reform is considered necessary.

Florent Spahija, from Democracy to Action, says the Vetevendosje Movement should have full electoral reform priority and not only change the Law for Elections.

I consider that LVV as the first party should consider complete reform under the changes that are made, and not only in a preferential way. Because it's sometimes when we have to change it, and since there are opportunities now, we have a bigger majority in the Assembly, then I consider it necessary and it's possible to make very good changes even in co-operation with opposition parties, but also in co-operation with civil society organisations working with this area, as well as with international partners. So, to gather together and make a very good election law”, he says.

He says the position has numbers to approve such a change, but which says it is not good because the country needs a comprehensive electoral reform. Over the years, election processes have been monitored by Democracy in Action, which after each party of elections has been the main recommendation that there must be electoral reform. Even in the February 14th elections, DnV has recommended that electoral reform should be one of the key priorities of the political spectrum based on principles of inclusion and transparency.