Chocolate: Elections cannot be postponed for Serbian List whims

The legislation in Kosovo has not defined the minimum threshold of voter exit in central or municipal elections. Thus, the failure of most voters in the country's north cannot contest the election process.

From the Central Election Commission (KQZ) has clarified one of the recent controversial issues dealing with the low eventual turnout in the April 23rd elections in Kosovo's four Serb-run northern municipalities.

CEC spokesman Valmir Elezi has said that in the election laws there is no threshold for citizens' exit.

Neither in the Law for General Elections nor in the Law for Local Elections is it precise how much voter turnout should be in an election process so that the result can then be certified by the Central Election Commission. So, there is no firm threshold for this matter”, Elez said.

Elez has said that the CEC is inviting citizens of these municipalities to exploit their constitutional right on April 23rd and that to realise the right to vote, this institution is continuing with preparations.

The Central Election Commission is continuing with the preparation of the April 23rd election process, and we encourage citizens of the Republic of Kosovo with a fair vote in these municipalities to exploit their constitutional right to choose their mayor, in northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposaviq, or Zubin Potok, as well as members in the Zvecan municipal assembly or Leposaviqi <1>, Elezeti said.

That there is no minimum threshold to contest the elections, says even the researcher at the Kosovo Democratic Institute, Eugen Calcolly. He says the process could be okay with only one voter.

Kosovo's “Legislation, fortunately, has not defined any minimum threshold of voter election so that elections can be considered legitimate or legitimate on the part of the parties, so a single voter can come out in any of these municipalities and his vote is valid so that the process is legally in order. Then how in practice the election results can be implemented, there is another issue that belongs to central institutions and in particular security forces, so that people selected in positions can have the opportunity to freely exercise their constitutional mandate”, Calcoli says.

The Serbian List's non-participation in the elections of four northern municipalities has been expected according to him. It says that with the Ohrid Agreement, the risk of a precedent for continuing postponement of elections has been averted.

“On the basis of their statements, it has been to some extent expected that the Serbian List will not participate in the elections and I believe that among the main reasons other than those mentioned by them, there has been a tendency to deliver a message perhaps that without the Serbian List no loose elections can be organised in the northern part of the country”.

I consider that after the moment created with the Ohrid Agreement, and the ongoing declarations of international factors that elections should already be organised despite the non-participation of the Serbian List in the elections, the process cannot be stopped and the possibility of becoming a very dangerous precedent for continuing postponement of the elections due to the whims of a political subject, regardless of which country”.

With the Serbian List's non-participation in this election, Cakoli says he will also note the citizens' failure to participate in this election.

The non-participation of the Serbian List in the election will have implications on many dimensions, which I believe will be the most observed exit to voters' election. This is knowing that the ongoing Serbian List has had the support of more than 95 per cent of voters among those taking the elections in the northern parts of the country, which is doubling the average voter exit compared to the rest”, he said.