Alert member CEC's PDK: Kurti government sʹare sharing additional budget for local elections

Gashi has been blaming Kosovo government for failing to approve the additional budget required by the CEC for local elections, reports Gashi. Periscope.

“The elections are not luxury in a democratic state they are the foundation of legitimacy. But in Kosovo, this foundation is now at risk because of the government's “refuge” to adopt the additional budget required by the Central Election Commission (KQZ) for local elections that were proclaimed about a month ago. This is not a technical delay. If the budget is not divided is a political decision with profound consequences for the integrity of the vote, the credibility of institutions and the trust of citizens both inside and abroad”, it has written.

Gashi has also cited the elections process on February 9th.

The most alarming consequence of the budget block is its impact on organising and verifying the diaspora vote, which has historically been vulnerable to abuse. Without sufficient resources, the CEC may fail to ensure a transparent, independent and verifiable process for votes coming from the outside. We've already seen the risks. On February 9th, allegations of counterfeit balloting were raised, and charges of organised manipulation were filed, with votes handed down on behalf of citizens who had never been registered or participated personally because someone else enrolled them and voted for them. This can happen again and in municipalities where the race is narrow, only a few hundred votes from the diaspora can reverse the overall score”, he has written away. /Periscope/

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