The recount of votes for parliamentary candidates from the December 28 elections is continuing in 11 municipalities. The manipulation of preferential votes within party lists has become a serious concern and has damaged Kosovo’s image, despite the country previously being regarded as a model for conducting elections.
Institutions are expected to be established only after the completion of the recounting process, which is anticipated to conclude on Sunday. Thereafter, during the following week, potential complaints must be reviewed before the certification of the results can take place. Should delays occur, Kosovo risks losing €90 million in funding from the European Union, as the agreement must be ratified by the Assembly of Kosovo no later than February 13.
Amid the urgency surrounding the certification of the December 28 election results, the recount process continues in the remaining 11 municipalities nationwide.
Despite the irregularities revealed through intra-party vote manipulation, the list of deputies for the 10th legislature has largely remained unchanged. So far, only Turkish MP Fikrim Damka, leader of the Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo, has lost his seat in the Assembly of Kosovo.
His seat has been taken by party colleague Ergul Mazrek, who received 2,516 votes following the recount, while Damka currently stands at 2,421 votes.
What is now confirmed is that manipulation occurred in two main ways: by adding votes directly into the system by vote counters in cases where voters had selected fewer than ten candidates, and by transferring votes from one candidate to another within the same party, RTK reports.
According to ongoing investigations, the Central Election Commission (CEC) finds it challenging to specify a date for the certification of the electoral process, which is necessary to trigger the constitutional deadlines for the formation of a new government.
A further risk to the timely establishment of institutions lies in the procedural deadlines for complaints that may be submitted to the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel.
Pending the completion of these procedures, February 13 remains the final deadline confirmed by the World Bank for the ratification of a €90 million agreement on development policy financing related to fiscal policy, competitiveness, and green growth.
