As President Vjosa Osmani prepares to announce the date for Kosovo’s upcoming regular local elections for mayors and municipal assemblies, the Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed that voting procedures remain unchanged from previous years.
According to CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi, the rules governing the election of mayors and municipal assembly members continue to follow the Law on Local Elections of 2008, which has not been reformed, unlike the law on general elections.
“The method for filling out ballots to elect mayors and assembly members remains the same as in past elections,” said Elezi.
Mayoral Elections
Each mayor is directly elected by voters registered in the respective municipality. Voters must select only one candidate on the ballot. A candidate wins outright if they receive 50% plus one vote of the total valid votes cast.
“If no candidate achieves this in the first round, a second round will be held four weeks later between the two candidates with the most votes,” Elezi explained. “The one who secures a majority in the runoff is declared mayor.”
Municipal Assembly Elections
Voting for municipal assemblies also follows previous procedures. Voters are entitled to vote for only one political party and one candidate from that party’s list.
“On the left side of the ballot, the voter selects a political party, while on the right side, they choose a candidate from that party’s list,” Elezi said. “If no individual candidate is selected, the vote is counted for the lead candidate of the party list.”
The CEC reiterated that, while changes have been implemented for general elections, local election rules remain intact, preserving continuity for voters familiar with the existing format.
