British Ambassador Jonathan Hargreaves visited the Municipal Vote Counting Center at the “1 Tetori” Hall in Pristina today, where he observed the counting process for the June 7 elections.
Following meetings with representatives of the Central Election Commission of Kosovo and the center’s management, he praised the work of the staff involved in the process and expressed confidence that the vote count would be completed successfully and transparently.
“I am very grateful to the Chair of the Central Election Commission and the manager of this counting center for introducing me to the counting process taking place here. It is a pleasure to see the care and attention to detail with which the counters are carrying out the vote count. I would like to pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of all these people who ensure that these elections run smoothly and safeguard their integrity,” Hargreaves said.
He noted that the work of the counting teams is demanding but crucial for maintaining confidence in the electoral process.
“I wish them every success in what appears to be a very difficult task. I sincerely hope that this process continues smoothly and quickly, so that we can all learn the results and have confidence in them as soon as possible. This will allow the country to move to the next stage, form a parliament, establish a government, and elect a president. I thank everyone involved in this process and look forward to seeing the final outcome,” he added.
Commenting on voter turnout in the June 7 elections, Hargreaves said participation appeared to be lower than expected, though he stressed that it was still too early for definitive conclusions.
“It does seem that turnout was relatively low. Before the elections, I mentioned that from my conversations with citizens, I had the impression that people were quite tired and experiencing a degree of election fatigue after so many elections within a relatively short period of time. I suspect that may be one of the reasons affecting participation levels,” he stated.
However, he emphasized that the electoral process is not yet complete, as votes from the diaspora and other sources still need to be received and processed.
“We have not yet received all the votes, and it is important to remember that the Election Commission still has to receive and process votes from the diaspora and other sources. There is still a long way to go before we fully understand the actual turnout and, of course, even further to go before we know the final election result,” Hargreaves said.
He reiterated his call for cooperation among political parties once the results are certified, stressing the importance of institutional functionality and respect for the constitutional order.
“My message to political parties remains the same as it has always been. It is clear that, whatever the exact results of this process may be, cooperation among political parties will be necessary. This country has a strong constitution that has served it well over the past 18 years, and it requires politicians to work together for the good of the country. They must come together to form a parliament, establish a government, and elect a president. That is what I hope will happen once the results become clear,” he concluded.
