The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has assessed Kosovo’s February 9 parliamentary elections as inclusive and peaceful, but noted that women’s representation remains low, reports RFE.
PACE delegation head Petra Bayr stated in a press conference in Prishtina that the election process was of high quality, with Kosovo voters demonstrating their commitment to democracy. However, she emphasized the continued underrepresentation of women in both the campaign and the election process.
According to monitoring reports, women constituted only 1% of active speakers in campaign events, and hate speech against female candidates was prevalent online.
PACE’s final report on the elections will be discussed in the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly session in April.
