Laura Pula, the prosecutor and national coordinator for elections, stated that, compared to 2010, the year of what she describes as the most autocratic elections in Kosovo, the discovery of election offenders has evolved significantly.
Pula emphasized that Kosovo has now achieved a state with electoral democracy, and even been mentioned in the UN Security Council.
“There has been significant evolution both in the detection of offenders and in the awareness of citizens regarding vote manipulation. Compared to 2010, when elections were almost the worst, autocratic for the Republic of Kosovo, over the years, we have managed to become a democratic state with electoral democracy. This is a great achievement over the years, and being mentioned in the Security Council is no small feat for the state of Kosovo,” she said during a special edition of KTV on Sunday.
While discussing the responsibilities of duty prosecutors and those on shifts during election day, Pula noted that anyone who fails to report irregularities within polling stations would be held accountable for failing to act promptly.
“We have duty prosecutors deployed throughout the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. In the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica, we have two duty prosecutors, and in all other municipalities under the Basic Prosecutor’s Office of Mitrovica, there are also prosecutors on shifts, as the duty at the institutional level is from 07:00 to 23:00. Responsible persons who are elected and monitor the voting process are obliged to report any irregularity within the polling stations, and if they fail to do so, they themselves will be held responsible for not acting in a timely manner,” Pula added.
