The CEC submits the work report to the Parliament: Close Election Reform

The CEC demands that the election reform process, launched for years, be completed within this mandate. The current laws under which elections are organised, both the Law for General Elections and the Law for Local Elections, were drafted and adopted in 2008.

CEC spokesman Valmir Elezi confirmed that they are seeking to close electoral reforms, since the adoption of current laws 13 years ago has organised 8 comprehensive election processes, while as the CEC has faced issues of different natures.

The election reform process has begun for years, but has not yet been completed. Therefore, in the CEC's 2020 job report, which we have submitted to the Kosovo Assembly, one of the CEC's recommendations is that the legislature must complete the election reform process, taking concrete steps as well as addressing all issues with which the CEC has been challenged. The current laws with which elections are organised -- that is, the law on general elections and local elections -- have been drafted and adopted in 2008. Since then, five election processes have been held for the Kosovo Assembly and three others for the local level, and since then the CEC has faced issues of different natures that must be addressed”, Elesi said.

Election reform could address many issues, including those like the voting counting process, conditional voting, out-of-country, the Certificate of political subjects and candidates, the possibility of digitalising services and other issues that could serve to improve the election body.

Elez says the CEC is ready to make its professional contribution to drafting electoral reform.

According to him, they are interested only in technical aspects, and in the context of that there would be recommendations that would be made in the service of improving the election process.

The Central Election Commission expresses readiness to make a professional contribution to electoral reform. Of course, the CEC is interested in technical aspects, while political aspects belong to political subjects and the political spectrum to decide. The issues that could be addressed are of different natures, such as the voting counting process; conditional voting abroad; certificates of political subjects and candidates; possibilities for digitalisation of services; and others. As far as the CEC is concerned, in a process of electoral reform, recommendations will be made through which we believe different aspects of the election process” could be improved, Elesi followed.

Election reform was initiated in 2011 but has not been finalised so far. At the time, there had been several meetings and several proposals involving partitioning Kosovo into electoral areas, the number of these areas, the number of deputies, the revision of minorities in the Assembly, the diaspora vote, and many other issues.

Civil society has consistently called on political subjects to find common language and complete reform, after which one is necessary for the country.