DnV: Election use of public money violates equal race and electoral integrity

The non-governmental organisation Democracy in Action (DnV) has reacted to the government's decision to share payments to different categories of citizens shortly before the elections, calling it legal violations and misuse of public resources in the election period.
According to DnV, the distribution of these financial means directly affects the electoral environment and affects the equality of the political race, creating unfair advantages for the political subject in power.
The organisation stresses that election legislation prohibits the use of public resources for purposes that could affect the will of voters, including the state budget, infrastructure and public administration during the election campaign.
DnV also recalls that Kosovo's Assembly had not previously approved the initiative to meet the budgetary Law, under which tools for such a financial package were envisioned. According to the organisation, this situation also raises concerns in relation to the Law on Government, which limits government competencies in office for making decisions with major financial implications.
The response points out that the overall financial assistance, without a new emergency situation, makes it difficult to distinguish between social policies and electoral interference, increasing the risk of using public policies for election benefits.
Democracy in Action has called on institutions to refrain from using public resources during the campaign and to respect legal and democratic standards for free and fair elections. It also requires that such cases be handled by mechanisms responsible for protecting electoral integrity and public money management.












