Who controls the use of public money in times of choice?

In Kosovo, this border was again tested following Albin Kurti's recent decisions on a series of social support measures, on the eve of early parliamentary elections on June 7th.

In the days leading up to the election campaign on May 28th, it shared from 100 euros in unilateral support for pensioners, students, children and workers; it increased to 500 euros the support for lehoats; and distributed two million euros of subsidies to airline companies to facilitate the summer flight of exiles.

Such ad hoc support was given even on the eve of past elections, in 2025.

The decisions sparked criticism from civil society and the opposition, which named the government's actions in office as an effort for “vote-purchasing”.

Current laws in Kosovo do not clearly prohibit a government from sharing social aid or pre-Food subsidies or on the eve of elections.

What changes can be made?

Naim Jakaj, a researcher at the Kosovo Institute for Justice (IKD), tells Radio Free Europe that it would have to be clearly defined by law that, after announcing the election date, the incumbent Government should not and cannot make decisions on sharing new financial packages for certain social categories.

The incumbent government, according to the principle of limiting its actions, should exercise only necessary functions, and continue to implement pre-planned or initiated policies, he estimates.

Jakaj says that “it should not have room for, through separate decisions, to transfer public means for certain categories, if these tools are not clearly planned and whether the decision can produce electoral effect”.

For this reason, he underlines, it is necessary to create a <x0-fiscal period before the elections, during which a government cannot declare new financial or subsidies, as any such intervention creates inequality in the election race and risks the public budget being used for election impact.

Also, it cautions, a code of conduct is needed for Government during the election period, especially for the use of state resources, such as official vehicles, derivatives and others, so that the ruling party has no priority over other parties.

The current election law does not specify whether decisions like those of the government in office, on the eve of the election campaign, are illegal.

Since the Central Election Commission (KQZ) has no direct role in controlling the government's public spending, as its mandate relates mainly to the management of the election process, Jakaj says the Agency for Prevention of Corruption should have a more active role in assessing the conflict of interest and misuse of state resources during the campaign.

Also, according to him, the National Audition Office should make special inspections for public spending in the pre-election and electoral period, especially for government subsidies and ad hoc decisions.

In April, the IKD handed over to the country a legislative initiative for changing and fulfilling the Penal Code, where one of the key areas relates precisely to criminalising the misuse of public money for electoral and pre-election periods.

When Relief Links to Elections

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSBE) and the Council of Europe Venice Commission said in 2016, through a guide, that state laws should ensure clear and applicable stops against the use of the state budget and infrastructure for election benefits.

According to the guide, misuse of public means is a consolidation and widespread phenomenon in many European countries, and abuses occur throughout the election process, and not only during the official election campaign period.

For example, in a report in 2022, O'S observer mission The SEU found that the incumbent Government in Serbia presented a series of financial schemes to lure specific demographic voters shortly before that year's parliamentary and presidential elections.

It distributed once-in-a-day payments of 100 euros to young people and wages of 2,500 euros to newborns.

O The SEU said that, until the state claimed these were measures for public welfare, their time and distribution unplanned and extraordinaryly opposed to the Venice Commission's recommendations.

How has Kurt reasoned on decisions?

Kosovo's incumbent prime minister has dismissed criticism that decisions for financial support from the Government in times of elections are “vote-purchasing”.

Responding in particular to the 2m-euro subsidy for airlines, Kurti said on May 27th that he did so to avoid possible cancellation of flights in August and July due to increased fuel costs, but without offering evidence.

Support for the charter is included in the Economic Resurrection Pact, first adopted in 2021, but it does not specify sub-Invention for flight companies.

The Ministry of Finance did not answer the question of Free Europe Radio Whether the suspension of airlines was anticipated earlier or if it would be long-term support.

The incumbent government executed the additions for the new, grown lehoat of 500 euros on May 24th, more than a month before the minimum salary of 500 euros went into effect.

Kurt did not reveal why he avoided waiting until July.

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