For the fourth time within the same year, the majority of political entities in Kosovo will launch their electoral campaigns in pursuit of voters’ support.
Following the parliamentary elections of 9 February and the local elections held on 12 October and 9 November, political parties will once again seek public backing in the early elections.
The spokesperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Valmir Elezi, told RTKLive that the election campaign for 24 political entities, with a total of 1,180 candidates, will take place from 17 December until 06:59 on 28 December.
“For 11 days and seven hours, political entities will be able to carry out their activities within the framework of the election campaign. According to the Law on General Elections, adopted in 2023 by the Assembly of Kosovo, the election campaign ends with the opening of polling stations on election day. Therefore, as in the most recent elections held in February and October this year, there will be no election silence on the day before the elections, on Saturday,” Elezi said.
Elezi also outlined the legal prohibitions and restrictions that political entities and their supporters must observe during the election campaign period.
“The Law on General Elections defines a number of prohibited actions for political entities, candidates and their supporters during the election campaign. These prohibitions mainly concern the obstruction of political opponents’ campaigns and the strict ban on threats and violence during the electoral process. In general, the law requires that the campaign be conducted in a calm, respectful and democratic atmosphere, free of hate speech, intimidation and any form of violence,” Elezi stated.
During the election campaign for the parliamentary elections held on 9 February, the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) imposed fines totaling €651,000 on political entities that violated the Code of Conduct.
Throughout the election campaign, the CEC will deploy monitors across various municipalities to oversee the organization of campaign events, advertising activities and other promotional materials.
“Under the law, the CEC does not adjudicate complaints related to campaign violations, as this responsibility lies with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel. However, the CEC has a monitoring role regarding the organization of meetings, advertising campaigns and other promotional materials. Through the Office for Registration, Certification and Financial Control of Political Entities, monitors will be engaged in municipalities throughout Kosovo to prepare reports on the activities of political entities. These reports will serve as a source of information for verification and comparison with the data declared in campaign finance reports,” Elezi said.
For participation in the early elections for the Assembly of Kosovo, 24 political entities have been certified, including 18 political parties, three coalitions, two civic initiatives and one independent candidate. The total number of candidates competing for seats in the Assembly is 1,180.
