Despite the ongoing political crisis at the central level due to the failure to constitute the Kosovo Assembly (more than three months after the certification of parliamentary election results), political entities are busy preparing candidate lists for the upcoming mayoral and municipal assembly elections.
There are fewer than 40 days left until the deadline for political entities to officially submit their candidates for the local elections.
No Applications Submitted Despite Online Option
Valmir Elezi, spokesperson for the Central Election Commission (CEC), stated that even though 10 days have passed since the application period opened, no political entity has officially submitted an application yet.
To streamline the process, Elezi noted that the CEC offers an online application system for submitting applications along with candidate lists. Authorized representatives of political entities (citizen initiatives and independent candidates) must first complete the required data online via the platform: https://apliko.kqz-ks.org. Registered political parties and coalitions, however, have already been provided with their login credentials and do not need to follow this initial step. After the initial application is verified, the Office for Registration, Certification, and Financial Control of Political Entities will send credentials via email to the authorized representative to access the online platform and submit the full application.
Candidate Verification Process
Elezi explained that all candidates will undergo verification by the CEC and other institutions, including the Kosovo Judicial Council, to ensure compliance with Article 30 of the Law on General Elections.
According to Article 30, a person cannot be certified as a candidate if they hold a special function under the Law on Public Officials; are a member of the foreign service or a diplomatic representative; are a chairperson or member of the CEC or Municipal Election Commission; are an official of the Election Panel for Complaints and Appeals (PZAP); have been deprived of the right to be a candidate by a court decision (including a PZAP decision); have been convicted in the last three years by a final court decision for a criminal offense with one or more years of effective imprisonment; have failed to pay a fine imposed by PZAP or the CEC; or have failed to comply with any order from PZAP.
