The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that on June 26, the deadline for political entities to apply for certification to participate in the local elections for municipal mayors and municipal assemblies will open. These elections are scheduled to be held on October 12, 2025.
In addition to submitting their application and fulfilling other conditions, political entities must also submit lists with the names of their candidates for Mayor or Municipal Assembly members. Thousands of candidates are expected to undergo a verification process before being certified to seek citizens’ votes.
Application Period and Verification Process
CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi told KosovaPress that the CEC has planned a 49-day period for political entities for all these procedures. According to him, it is up to the political entities to decide in which municipalities they will compete.
“Starting from June 26 until August 13, 2025, political parties, coalitions, civic initiatives, and independent candidates can submit their request to the CEC, specifically the Office for Registration, Certification, and Financial Control of Political Entities, to be certified for participation in the elections for Municipal Mayors and for Municipal Assemblies, which will be held on October 12, 2025. Unlike coalitions, civic initiatives, and independent candidates, according to the Law on General Elections, a registered political party is automatically certified. Also, during this period, political entities must submit their lists with the names of candidates for Municipal Mayor or for Municipal Assemblies. It is entirely at the discretion of political entities to determine in which municipalities they will compete and to submit the list with the names of candidates for the respective municipalities,” Elezi stated.
Eligibility Criteria for Candidates
When asked whether individuals convicted of criminal offenses could run, Elezi said that this issue is regulated in Article 30 of the Law on General Elections.
“The Kosovo Judicial Council is one of the institutions from which the CEC will request candidate verification. Article 30 of the Law on General Elections stipulates that a person cannot be a candidate if they ‘have been convicted in the last 3 years by a final court decision for a criminal offense, with one or more years of effective imprisonment.’ Therefore, in order to implement this legal provision, we will request the KJC to verify the list of candidates to ensure that none of them are in violation of this legal restriction,” Elezi clarified.
Furthermore, according to Article 30 of the Law on General Elections, a person cannot be certified as a candidate for MP if they hold a special function under the Law on Public Officials; are a member of the foreign service and diplomatic representative; chair or member of the CEC or Municipal Election Commission; an official of the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (PZAP); have been deprived of the right to be a candidate by a court decision, including a PZAP decision; have failed to pay a fine imposed by PZAP or the CEC; or have failed to comply with any order from PZAP.
