The Central Election Commission (CEC) stated that, based on information received from the Municipal Election Commissions in Gjakova and South Mitrovica, “it has been determined that in some batches of ballots, an error occurred during the printing of one element of the ballot, specifically the polling station code.”
This statement comes after voting in South Mitrovica was temporarily suspended due to suspicions of vote irregularities, an event that involved the police and the prosecutor’s office.
Nevertheless, “regarding this issue, the Central Election Commission has communicated with the company responsible for printing the ballots, which acknowledged the possibility that the error occurred in the mechanical printer that stamps variable data. The company has confirmed that it will prepare an official clarification on this case in the coming days,” the CEC said.
According to the CEC, “it is important to emphasize that the total number of printed ballots has been accurately recorded. Furthermore, for each polling station, the printed ballots contain serial numbers on the main parts of the ballots, which fully correspond to the number of ballots received and verified so far at the Municipal Counting Centers in South Mitrovica and Gjakova.”
“The Central Election Commission assures the public, voters, and all parties involved in the electoral process that this technical error does not in any way affect the integrity of the voting or vote counting process, as the ballots contain multiple security features that ensure they cannot be falsified or copied,” the CEC statement concluded.
