5 hours agoCEC clarifys voting process by mail, says there were no complaints
Periskopi(5 hours ago)
(5 hours ago)Following concerns raised in public over the organisation of voting outside Kosovo, particularly through mail, the Central Election Commission has come up with a detailed clarification, stressing that the whole process has been conducted in accordance with the law and with numerous security measures to ensure the integrity of the vote.
In its response, the CEC emphasises that organising voting abroad is done on the basis of the General Election Law and that all actions necessary for voter registration have been taken, voting in diplomatic representations and voting via mail.
The Central Election Commission has taken concrete steps to enable voter registration outside Kosovo to physically vote in diplomatic representations or via mail and organise voting. Also, the CEC, through standard action procedures, has adjusted the issue of pulling packages from mailbox boxes belonging to the post office vote”, Klankosova.tv reportedly broadcasts.
According to the CEC, the voter registration process outside Kosovo is associated with separate security measures. One of them has been verification via real-time photography during the application.
“The CEC has seen to it that the process of registering voters outside Kosovo meets certain security aspects, among which is the photography of applicators until it holds and simultaneously presents its identification document. The applicant cannot upload the photograph, but he or she should be photographed at the moment the recording camera is opened”, the institution points out.
The CEC underlines that every registered voter has successfully accepted a one-story recording card, a necessary document to verify the validity of the vote sent by mail.
The electoral institution suggests that 30 polling stations have been scheduled for the elections in Kosovo's diplomatic representations, 17 embassies and 13 consulates respectively, while postal voting boxes have been opened in 22 different states of the world, in addition to the permanent mailbox in Kosovo.
The explanation is said that, in order to boost security, from the local elections of 2025 voters abroad, paper printed by the CEC itself, equipped with security elements the same as those used at the polls in Kosovo.
“Paco containing ballot balloting and voting guide is sent via the economic operator to the address of registered voters. The voter's duty is to place in this package the ballot placed in the secret envelope and the record report received by the CEC, to send it back to the mailbox specified”, the CEC explains.
A special part of the response is dedicated to the withdrawal procedure with ballot boxes from mailboxes outside Kosovo. The CEC says officials of diplomatic representations have been authorised for this process, while accredited observers have been regularly announced to convey the procedures closely.
After the withdrawal of the ballot package, they are identified inside the mail object and placed in bags, which are closed with safety links and safety tape. The authorised team has recorded the number of attracted envelopes and the number of security links to the relevant forms. Photos and reports were immediately sent via mail to the CEC”, the notice said.
According to the institution, bags of withdrawal remittances have been stored in the security rooms of diplomatic representatives until the moment of surrender to the operator responsible for transporting them to Kosovo through diplomatic channels.
The CEC has also clarified procedures following the package arrival in Kosovo. According to her, all shipments are subject to the evaluation process to verify whether registered voters were sent.
To observe this process, The CEC has announced accredited observers and observers of political subjects, who have been present almost all the time when bags and envelope assessments were made, and have presented no remarks during this process. It is also noteworthy that officials who have conducted the envelope assessment have not noticed anything unusual during their opening and review of”, it is further said.
In the end, the CEC stresses that the whole process has been developed with full transparency and under the supervision of accredited observers.
“During the voting process through mail, the withdrawal of the package from mailboxes, the assessment of the alleged package of balloting and counting of them, the CEC has not accepted any complaints and no remarks have been noted by observers of accredited organisations, who have been largely observers of political subjects”, the Central Election Commission's response concludes.
