The Central Election Commission (CEC) has released updated data on the ongoing vote verification and counting process following the October 12 local elections in Kosovo.
CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi told Ekonomia Online that by Thursday, October 16, at 16:00, more than 65% of polling stations had completed the verification and counting process for both municipal assembly candidates and mayoral races.
“According to information from the Municipal Counting Centers, results have been verified for 1,689 polling stations for the mayoral elections and 1,668 polling stations for political subjects in municipal assembly elections. In total, 3,357 out of 5,142 ballot boxes have been processed so far,” said Elezi.
Verification Completed in 17 Municipalities
The CEC confirmed that counting and verification activities have been completed in 17 municipalities, including Hani i Elezit, Junik, Mamushë, Zveçan, Mitrovica e Veriut, Zubin Potok, Deçan, Shtime, Klinë, Shtërpcë, Obiliq, Istog, Skenderaj, Viti, Rahovec, Suharekë, and Dragash.
Over 28,000 Ballots from Abroad Approved
The CEC is also reviewing ballots received from abroad via postal voting. Elezi reported that as of Thursday afternoon, more than 32,000 postal packages had undergone evaluation. Of these, 28,200 were approved, while around 2,700 were rejected.
“The main reason for rejection, found in 3,328 packages, was the absence of a voter registration certificate, a mandatory document issued by the CEC containing unique voter data,” Elezi explained.
The CEC concluded the retrieval of postal ballot packages from 23 locations — 22 countries and Kosovo’s own postal box — on Tuesday. A total of 33,841 suspected ballot packages were collected and transported to Kosovo for processing.
