The recount of ballots from Kosovo’s 28 December elections is continuing at the Counting and Results Center, following a decision by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to conduct a full nationwide recount.
According to the latest update from the CEC, a total of 832 polling stations have been recounted so far, representing 32.54% of the total vote.
Significant Discrepancies Detected
Noticeable discrepancies in vote counts have been identified across all political parties, with the most serious irregularities initially uncovered in the Municipality of Prizren.
Following a verification process of just two ballot boxes, the CEC identified a difference of 714 votes, prompting a decision last week to recount all regular polling stations in Prizren.
As a result of the recount in Prizren alone, it was found that 45,709 votes were either incorrectly added or removed from parliamentary candidates during the initial count.
Major Impact on Individual Candidates
The largest deviations were recorded within the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). PDK parliamentary candidate Fetah Paçarizi lost more than 6,000 votes following the recount.
These findings raised serious concerns over the integrity of the original counting process, particularly with regard to votes cast for individual candidates rather than political parties.
Recount Extended to All Municipalities
Due to the scale of irregularities, the CEC decided on Monday to expand the recount to all polling stations across 28 municipalities, including Prishtina, Prizren, Peja, Gjilan, Ferizaj, Mitrovica (North and South), Podujeva, Gjakova, Drenas, and Gračanica, among others.
In addition, a previous decision dated 13 January 2026 had already mandated recounts in 10 other municipalities, including Dragash, Kaçanik, Leposaviq, Skenderaj, Vushtrri, and Mamushë.
Evidence of Vote Theft
A CEC report based on the recount of more than 500 polling stations concluded that while changes in party vote totals were largely negligible, serious inaccuracies were detected in candidate-level vote counts.
During the ongoing process, cases of vote theft involving parliamentary candidates have also been identified in Podujeva, this time within the Vetëvendosje Movement.
Process Ongoing
The recount process is expected to continue in the coming days as authorities aim to restore confidence in the electoral process and ensure that final results accurately reflect the will of voters.
