Daka shows how much local elections are expected to cost state

Central Election Commission Chairman Valdete Daka says of Kosova Preis that since local elections are fair, preparations for their organisation have started since the beginning of this year.

Since the date has not yet been set for elections to be held, aka says that the more time is given at hand, they will have the opportunity to conduct all procedures within legal terms.

Because these local elections are fair, choices that are set by the Constitution every four years, and we since the beginning of the year have known that we will have local elections, we have started preparations as much as time has allowed, considering that at the beginning of this year we have had parliamentary elections... of course the more time left for us, the CEC will have the opportunity to conduct all procedures and try to reach all legal deadlines as scheduled. Of course, past elections were held in October, if I recall October 22, 2017, so that sometime October is the constitutional deadline when elections should be held”, she says.

Daka claims that as an institution, it has made a budget project on how much the organisation of local elections will cost, which says the amount is expected to be about 7.5m euros.

The organisation of the run-off and protective equipment against have also been envisioned in this budget COVID-19.

“We have made a budget projection, so to say a rough estimate of how much it can cost for two rounds, because these elections are known to have two rounds and we always plan that two rounds occur in all municipalities. Our account is somewhere around 7.5m euros could cost, which doesn't mean it's going to be that much, it all depends on how many rounds we have in the municipality and how much electoral material we need... Yes, of course, just as in previous elections and this time we've calculated that we should have disinfecting, masks, gloves, all of these that are presented with a guide from the IKPK”, says Daka.

Daka in an interview for Kosova Prees, says that the institution she leads will not be a challenge to organising the runoff, as such says they have successfully organised it other times.

The organisation of the pandemic-time elections, the first of the CEC, says it will not be problematic for them, as they have already managed to organise two parties of elections in the pandemic.

And we now have an experience, we have managed to organise parliamentary elections under the pandemic circumstances for a very short term, and I believe that even this election will not have problems. Even more so that the number of cases is now down from”, it points out.

The problems that have appeared consistently in the election processes, including those of extraordinary elections held earlier this year, Daka says they will be addressed through electoral reform.

The election “reform has had to be completed since the time, so it has been years and years that I and the recommendations of the EU and all those who are election connoisseurs require such reform to occur, but we have found in deaf ears on the part of political subjects or Parliament in February. I believe that after these elections there will certainly be consensus and there will be a long-term reform that has had to be completed”, she says.

For a long time, meetings of the Central Election Commission are being held amid numerous accusations by members of the Vetevendosje Movement to the head of this institution, Valdete Daka.

The Daka, which leads with the CEC now 11 years, says it will not give up pressure from members of the Vetevendosje Movement in the CEC.

They actually have a problem with me, not me with them... No, because I consider that I'm just doing my job the way the Constitution and the law of choice requires and, of course, if there were any eventual offenses from me, everyone would react, not just a certain subject”, she says.

The country's president, Vjosa Osmani on 2 June, has met with political party leaders to consult on the date of holding local elections, but has not yet indicated when they will be held. / KP/