VV celebrates, opposition satisfied with growth
Election Day, which passed without any incidents and Kosovo was praised for its democratic culture and citizen participation in the elections, was overshadowed in the evening by the Central Election Commission's failure to publish the election results for political parties on time.
The Vetëvendosje Movement is the winner of the February 9 elections with over 40 percent of the vote, according to the results published by the political parties, Democracy in Action and a projection published by “KOHA”. The Democratic Party came in second with over 20 percent, followed by the LDK with 18 percent and AAK-Nisma with 7.6 percent. The List for the Family did not pass the five percent threshold, managing to get only about 2 percent.
Election Day, which passed without any incident and Kosovo was praised for its democratic culture and citizen participation in the elections, was overshadowed in the evening by the Central Electoral Commission's failure to publish the election results for political parties on time.
Although the new Election Law stated that the preliminary results of the parties would be published in record time, this did not happen.
For more than three hours, the CEC's online platform was out of order.
Initially, more than 23 percent of the votes were reported as counted, and then over 50 percent, but there were discrepancies between the total votes cast and those in certain municipalities.
Initial figures published by the CEC on the online platform sparked a huge backlash after they showed Vetëvendosje winning with over 55 percent. CEC officials later announced that they were experiencing technical problems, with the site experiencing system overload due to high interest.
The Chairman of the CEC, Kreshnik Radoniqi, said at a press conference before midnight that they will conduct an analysis of the system's failure later.
According to him, preliminary data for the parliamentary elections will be collected manually because the platform is not functioning.
He guaranteed that there would be no impact on the results. After being collected manually, he said that the data would be uploaded to the internet. But he did not give a timeframe for when this might happen.
"Everything was ready to transmit the preliminary results in the past, the application has not worked, we are not able to transmit the data through the platform. We apologize to all citizens. In these circumstances, we have reviewed the situation and will collect the data manually. We assure citizens that the failure to transmit the preliminary data through the electronic platform has no impact on the result. After we collect it, we will publish it, I don't know, at 3 or 4 in the morning," said Radoniqi.
He neither denied nor confirmed whether the prosecution had gone to the CEC to investigate problems with the system.
"Prosecutors have been at the CEC all day. The failure of the system was unexpected even for us. I want to assure everyone that the integrity of the vote is secure and the forms have been completed by the vote count," Radoniqi said. "The forms will be sent to us by the officials," he added.
Preliminary results do not include conditional votes, votes from people with special needs, and votes from outside Kosovo.
Following the announcement of a failure of the software for publishing online votes, President Vjosa Osmani has asked the Central Election Commission to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
"The President of the Republic of Kosovo congratulates the citizens who, even in this electoral process, showed a high democratic culture. She has expressed the expectation that the CEC will successfully complete the vote count by tonight. However, following the software failure, information confirmed by the CEC, the President has requested that the integrity of the electoral process be protected, ensuring that every vote is counted correctly," reads a statement by the President on the Presidency's Facebook page.
The statement continues by saying that the president will be in contact with the institutions until fully ensuring that the entire process, including the counting and publication of the results, is carried out in accordance with democratic standards and in accordance with the will of the citizens.
DNV declares LVV the winner
Preliminary results, a few hours after the polls closed, were also published by the "Democracy in Action" coalition of organizations.
According to the vote count in 98 percent of polling stations, this coalition said that the Vetëvendosje Movement won 40.4 percent, with a margin of error of 1.44 percent. The Democratic Party of Kosovo is second with 21.7 percent, with a margin of error of 1.45 percent. The Democratic League of Kosovo is third with 17.5 percent, with a margin of error of 0.97 percent. The AAK-Nisma coalition is fourth with 7.2 percent, with a margin of error of 0.82 percent and the Coalition for the Family has 2.4 percent.
Compared to the elections four years ago, LVV has dropped by 10 percent. According to DNV figures, the two opposition parties PDK and LDK have the largest increase. While in 2021, PDK had 17 percent, now it has 21.7. LDK from 12,7 percent in 2021, according to DNV, has now received 17,5 percent. AAK-Nisma has remained almost the same - from 7,1 percent in 2021 it has risen to 7.2 percent. As for the results from the parties of the largest non-majority community - Serbs, Serbian List is the winner with 5.4 percent.
According to the vote count by Democracy in Action, Nenad Rašić's "Za Slobodu Pravdu i Opstanak" party has managed to secure 0.6 percent of the votes at the national level, which is enough to secure one seat in the Kosovo Assembly, out of the 10 seats available to parties from the Serbian community.
So far, the Serbian List has consistently had all 10 seats reserved.
Meanwhile, the Time Projection, which was published after the polls closed, showed the Vetëvendosje Movement as the winning party with 42.3 percent, PDK second with 21.3 percent, LDK with 20.4 percent, and AAK-Nisma with 6.3 percent.
Kurti says they will form the Government
Despite the decline compared to the elections four years ago, fireworks were set off in front of the Vetëvendosje Movement offices in Pristina.
Vetëvendosje's candidate for prime minister, Albin Kurti, made two appearances after midnight where he declared victory, in coalition with the Guxo List and the Alternativa.
He declared to supporters in "Skënderbeu" Square in Pristina that the electoral process was democratic and peaceful, not mentioning Serbia.
Kurti said that there has never been more war than against this government, while he used the term "monster" against the opposition.
"There has never been more war than against this government. With oligarchs who give money without accounting, and with the opposition who make deals even with the devil against our government. Even though they have lost again, they will remain an opposition, because they do not want the best for either the state or the people," Kurti declared.
In his first appearance at the VV headquarters, Kurti said that the victory is a confirmation "of good, prosperous and democratic governance."
"Also, our winning coalition will form the new Kurti 3 government, and in this way we will continue the work that has been started. The citizens of Kosovo have proven their resistance against an unprecedented hybrid war that has been waged against our coalition. There have been irrational promises. Despite this, LVV won and we are the winning entity that will form the next government," he said.
PDK: Undeniable success with over 200 thousand votes
What the CEC did not do by publishing the results, the opposition parties did by presenting the data they collected from the field.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo has appeared pleased with the increase in these elections. The PDK campaign spokesman, Blerand Stavileci, said that the election results have shown that the majority of citizens have turned their backs on the Kurti government and are looking for a new executive. He considered the PDK's result as the second largest force in the country an undeniable success.
"We are in an unusual situation, where we as a party must report the votes, and not the CEC. PDK has achieved great results, it has been confirmed as the second largest force in the country with over 200 thousand votes. We thank the citizens who voted for PDK. This is an undeniable success for us and a strong message for us. The majority of citizens have turned their backs on this government, as they do not have a majority. The results show that citizens are looking for a new government," said Stavileci.
Regarding coalitions, Stavileci said that we should wait for the finalization of the results.
"In the coming days, with the finalization of the results, the PDK chairman and the PDK candidate will come up with positions on how to proceed," he added.
Abdixhiku: Significant growth, although not satisfactory
The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, despite the increase compared to the elections four years ago, said that it is not a satisfactory result. He added that he takes responsibility for the election result himself, while he will be accountable only to the LDK and its voters.
At a press conference late Sunday, Abdixhiku also announced the preliminary results and congratulated all parties on the electoral process.
"We are doing the work that the CEC should do. According to the count taken by LDK commissioners and observers, LDK received 158.954 votes or 18.1 percent, LVV received 347.543 votes or 39.8 percent, PDK received 190.363 votes or 21.8 percent, AAK-Nisma received 66.635 votes or 7.6 percent," he said at a press conference.
He added that they expect to have around 30-35 thousand votes from the diaspora and will bring the result to around 190 thousand votes.
"Although we have significant growth, it is not a satisfactory result. If the people have not seen me (as prime minister) this time, I am happy to be part of the next opposition in the Kosovo Assembly," Abdixhiku said.
Haradinaj calls for the opposition to form the government
The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said that the opposition won these elections, expressing that he "looks forward to cooperating on the formation of the government."
He told the media that he believes that AAK has a double-digit result in these parliamentary elections.
"We are confident that we have a double-digit result. I believe that we will confirm this. What makes me happy is the fact that the opposition has won these elections. I wish the opposition victory and I look forward to cooperating on the creation of an opposition government," said Haradinaj.
Haradinaj has declared that he will not form a coalition with the Vetevendosje Movement.
"No, I told you, we are happy that the opportunity has been created to form an opposition government and we will cooperate with the opposition parties," he said.
And the leader of the Social Democratic Initiative, Fatmir Limaj, has declared victory in Malisheva.
In a Facebook post, Limaj wrote that in his hometown they won over 40 percent of the votes.
"Congratulations to Malisheva for the big victory with over 40% of the votes, based on the initial results. I am proud of my hometown, with my fellow countrymen, who today proved once again that they are an example of a citizenship that is not deceived, but, on the contrary, they give support to people who work and do good deeds for Malisheva and all of Kosovo. We won convincingly in Malisheva, because Malisheva is governed by the Social Democratic INISTA", Limaj wrote.
In these elections, Nisma competed in coalition with AAK.
Voter turnout 40.59 percent, citizens expect development and prosperity
As for the participation of citizens in the elections, it was 40.59 percent, out of 1 million 970 thousand 944 citizens with the right to vote, 799 thousand 954 citizens exercised this right. The highest turnout was recorded in Pristina with 55.68 percent of the participation. Out of 212 thousand 515 citizens with the right to vote, 118 thousand 321 voted. According to the CEC figures, the lowest turnout was in North Mitrovica with only 5.30 percent.
Sunday's voting process for Kosovo's parliamentary elections took place calmly and without major incidents.
Citizens demanded that the new Government focus on economic development and improving welfare.
"We expect a better future. Hopes are there," said Avdyl Deva from Gjakova.
"I believe so, we expect something better. To have a workplace, a factory in general, a workplace. Where there is a workplace, I believe that everything goes well," said Diogard Hajdari.
"Ishalla is getting better, better. Whoever wins, whatever we do, we wish the winner well. A little bit for businesses to help us, a little bit. Give us lower loans to develop and employ more people. That's what's most valuable to us, businesses," said Zef Demaj, a baker.
Sunday's elections were the first to be held with some changes to the process after the adoption of the Law on General Elections. Among other things, citizens were able to choose from 10 candidates for deputies, unlike 5 in the previous elections.
There was no option for conditional voting at each polling station, but only one within a municipality.
There were cameras installed at polling stations and even at counting centers.
The other change concerns the preliminary results, which were said to be expected to be published in record time for political parties. After the closing of voting at 19 p.m., only the part of the ballots where citizens voted for political entities was counted at polling stations.
The next day, unlike in previous elections, the Municipal Counting Centers will begin counting the remaining part of the ballots, namely the votes of the candidates for deputies.
Meanwhile, Saturday was voting day in Kosovo's diplomatic missions, as this was made possible by new legal changes. 43 polling stations were open in the missions.
Since the war, Sunday's elections are the first to be held within the regular constitutional deadline, as the previous ones were premature.
Kurti declares victory, calls the opposition "monsters"
He declared to supporters in Skanderbeg Square in Pristina that the electoral process was democratic and peaceful, adding that he thanked the authorities for their commitment.
The candidate for prime minister from the Vetëvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, has declared that his party and the coalition with "Guxo" and "Alternativa" are the winners of the elections.
He declared to supporters in "Skënderbeu" Square in Pristina that the electoral process was democratic and peaceful, adding that he thanked the authorities for their commitment.
"The electoral process was a democratic process, which did not have any incidents. I thank the police and the mechanisms, but this is what happens when it is our Government. When we are the executive, there are no incidents and the democratic process is qualitative, genuine, free and honest," Kurti said.
Kurti said that there has never been more war than against this government, while he used the term "monster" against the opposition.
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"You've seen what lies they've made in their promises. They said the state budget would be bigger than the gross domestic product. What animals! Or they made promises for a coefficient higher than their program. What animals! But the time for animals has passed... There has never been more war than against this government. With oligarchs who give money without accounting, and with the opposition who make deals even with the devil against our government. Even though they've lost again, they will remain an opposition because they don't want the best for either the state or the people," Kurti declared.
PDK: Most citizens have turned their backs on this government
The campaign spokesman for the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Blerand Stavileci, said that the election results have shown that the majority of citizens have turned their backs on this government and are looking for a new executive.
He considered the PDK's result as the second largest force in the country an undeniable success.
"We are in an unusual situation, where we as a party must count the votes, and not the CEC. PDK has achieved great results, it has been confirmed as the second largest force in the country with over 200 thousand votes. We thank the citizens who voted for PDK. This is an undeniable success for us and a strong message for us. The majority of citizens have turned their backs on this government, as they do not have a majority. The results show that citizens are demanding a new government," said Stavileci.
Regarding coalitions, Stavileci said that we should wait for the finalization of the results.
"In the coming days, with the finalization of the results, the PDK chairman and the PDK candidate will come up with positions on how to proceed," he added.
Abdixhiku: I take responsibility for the result, I will only be accountable to LDK and the voters
The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, has said that he takes responsibility for the election results himself, while he will be accountable only to the LDK and its voters.
At a press conference late Sunday, Abdixhiku also announced preliminary results and congratulated all parties on the electoral process.
"We are doing the work that the CEC should do. According to the count taken by the LDK commissioners and observers, the LDK received 158.954 votes or 18.1 percent, the LVV received 347.543 votes or 39.8 percent, the PDK received 190.363 votes or 21.8 percent, and the AAK-Nisma received 66.635 votes or 7.6 percent," he announced.
Abdixhiku has said that they expect to have around 30-35 thousand votes from the diaspora and will bring the result to around 190 thousand votes.
"Although we have significant growth, it is not a satisfactory result. If the people have not seen me (as prime minister) this time, I am happy to be part of the next opposition in the Kosovo Assembly," Abdixhiku said.
"I have no intention of resigning," he added.
The LDK received only 2021 votes in the 110 elections.
The President demands that every vote be counted accurately.
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has asked the Central Election Commission to protect the integrity of the electoral process, following the announcement of a failure of the software for publishing online votes.
"The President of the Republic of Kosovo congratulates the citizens who, even in this electoral process, showed a high democratic culture. She has expressed the expectation that the CEC will successfully complete the vote count by tonight. However, following the software failure, information confirmed by the CEC, the President has requested that the integrity of the electoral process be protected, ensuring that every vote is counted correctly," reads a statement by the President on the Presidency's Facebook page.
The statement continues by saying that the president will be in contact with the institutions until fully ensuring that the entire process, including the counting and publication of the results, is carried out in accordance with democratic standards and in accordance with the will of the citizens.
Krasniqi: The President must show the CEC Chairman his place
The editor of the KOHA Group, Besnik Krasniqi, has said that President Vjosa Osmani should step down from office to the chairman of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi, after these elections.
Krasniqi assessed that Radoniq's statement about the failure of the CEC system for preliminary results is intolerable.
"It was an irresponsible statement by the CEC chairman, there are more than two million people waiting for these results and I will return with this statement. This failure is intolerable, the responsibility falls on him and for all the problems he had during today. The least the president should do after these elections is show him (Radoniqi) his place," Krasniqi said.
Kurti: Our coalition will form the Kurti 3 Government
The candidate for prime minister from the Vetëvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, has declared that he is the winner of the elections, adding that he will continue his third term with "Guxo" and "Alternativa".
He told the media that he will continue working.
"Everything went according to procedures, I thank the Police and the law enforcement agencies in general. We are the first and this is confirmation of a good, prosperous and democratic government. Our coalition will form our 3rd government. It will continue the work... The people won, Vetëvendosje won. We are the winning entity that will form the next government. Everyone is clear that those who came second and third, if they get together, will not do as well as we do," Kurti said.
CEC admits its system failed: Data will be collected manually
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi, has said that preliminary data for the parliamentary elections will be collected manually because the platform is not functioning.
He has guaranteed that there will be no impact on the results. Once they are collected manually, they will be put online. But he has not given a timeframe for when this might happen.
"Everything was ready to transmit the preliminary results in the past, the application has not worked, we are not able to transmit the data through the platform. We apologize to all citizens. In these circumstances, we have reviewed the situation and will collect the data manually. We assure citizens that the failure to transmit the preliminary data through the electronic platform has no impact on the result. After we collect it, we will publish it, I don't know, at 3 or 4 in the morning," said Radoniqi.
CEC out of the system, official results unknown
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The Central Election Commission has been offline for more than two hours from the system displaying the preliminary results of the February 9 parliamentary elections.
Initially, more than 23 percent of the votes were listed on the CEC website as counted, and then over 50 percent, but there were discrepancies between the total votes presented and those in certain municipalities.
The CEC has described all of these as technical problems "due to the great interest".
The official results are currently unknown.
Vetevendosje starts the party
The Vetëvendosje Movement has started the celebration in front of its offices in Pristina, where several sympathizers have gathered.
KOHA is reporting from the scene, where citizens are seen setting off fireworks. No party officials were seen present there.
Meanwhile, the media spokesperson for the Vetëvendosje Movement, Arlind Manjhuka, said that they will wait until the final vote count "so that we know the result of the victory."
He wrote on Facebook that the countdown is continuing.
"Dear citizens, the counting is continuing and we must wait until the final count in order to know the result of our victory," he said.
VV: We have to wait for the final count for the victory result
The media spokesperson for the Vetëvendosje Movement, Arlind Manxhuka, said that they will wait until the final vote count "so that we know the result of the victory."
He wrote on Facebook that the countdown is continuing.
"Dear citizens, the counting is continuing and we must wait until the final count in order to know the result of our victory," he said.
The CEC has informed KOHA that there are technical problems with the website where the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections are being published.
Limaj declares victory in Malisheva
The leader of the Social Democratic Initiative, Fatmir Limaj, has declared victory in Malisheva.
In a Facebook post, Limaj wrote that in his hometown they won over 40 percent of the votes.
"Congratulations to Malisheva for the big victory with over 40% of the vote, based on initial results." "I am proud of my hometown, of my fellow countrymen, who today proved once again that they are an example of a citizenship that is not deceived, but, on the contrary, they support people who work and do good deeds for Malisheva and all of Kosovo. We won convincingly in Malisheva because Malisheva is governed by the Social Democratic INISTA," Limaj wrote.
In these elections, Nisma competed in coalition with AAK.
DnV: Rašić's Party Takes a Seat from the Serbian List
Nenad Rashiq
According to the vote count by Democracy in Action, Nenad Rašić's Za Slobodu Pravdu i Opstanak party has managed to secure 0.6 percent of the votes at the national level, which is enough to secure one seat in the Kosovo Assembly, out of the 10 seats available to parties from the Serbian community.
So far, the Serbian List has consistently had all 10 seats reserved.
DNV: VV wins over 40 percent of the vote
According to the vote count by Democracy in Action in 98 percent of polling stations, the Vetëvendosje Movement has won 40.4 percent, with a margin of error of 1.44 percent.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is second with 21.7 percent, with a margin of error of 1.45 percent.
The Democratic League of Kosovo is third with 17.5 percent, with a margin of error of 0.97 percent.
The AAK-Nisma coalition is fourth with 7.2 percent, with a margin of error of 0.82 percent.
The Coalition for the Family has 2.4 percent.
The CEC issues an explanation for the website's downfall
The Central Election Commission announced that it is facing technical problems on the platform where the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections are published.
In a response to KOHA, the CEC said that due to the high interest, the site experienced system overload.
"I inform you that the CEC is collecting data after counting the ballots from the polling stations. There are evident technical problems on the platform. The data is being collected from the field and will then be published by the CEC. Due to the great interest of citizens in accessing the results platform, an overload has been caused in the system," the CEC spokesperson, Valmir Elezi, said in a statement.
He added that teams are working in the field and sending data "which we are making efforts to transmit as quickly as possible."
By the time the CEC website went down, figures showed that over 23 percent of votes had been counted, with over 50 percent of them going to Vetëvendosje. However, there have been reports that the data is incorrect.
Coalition for Families: Our cause will continue
The Coalition for Families, which according to KOHA's projection and the first results of the Central Election Commission does not exceed the 5 percent threshold, has said that its main cause will continue regardless of the final result.
"We thank all voters for their support and for every contribution they made in these elections. We are grateful for every commitment and are awaiting the final results of the elections. We are grateful for every vote that was given for us. Whatever the result, it will reflect our commitment and hard work. The cause of the family will continue and we will always be present on the political scene. We are the ones who will defend the value of the family and we will always continue for the family. Thank you also to the media and all those who contributed to this process", said the leader of the list, Eman Rrahmani.
23 percent of votes processed, VV over 50%. CEC says there are technical problems
Over 23 percent of polling stations have been processed in the February 9 general elections. Of this percentage counted, the Vetëvendosje Movement leads with 55.77 percent.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo came in third with 25.39 percent, the Democratic League third with 8.99 percent of the vote, while the AAK-Nisma Coalition has 5.0 percent.
Meanwhile, the CEC stated after publishing this percentage that there were technical problems with the display of the numbers.
Haradinaj: The opposition won the elections, I can't wait to cooperate on forming the Government
Ramush Haradinaj
The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said that the opposition won these elections, expressing that he "looks forward to cooperating on the formation of the government."
He told the media that he believes that AAK has a double-digit result in these parliamentary elections.
"We are confident that we have a double-digit result. I believe that we will confirm this. What makes me happy is the fact that the opposition has won these elections. I wish the opposition victory and I look forward to cooperating on the creation of an opposition government," said Haradinaj.
Haradinaj has declared that they will not form a coalition with the Vetevendosje Movement.
"No, I told you, we are happy that the opportunity has been created to form an opposition government and we will cooperate with the opposition parties," he said.
Çeku: Please be patient a little longer.
Photo: Driton Pacharada
Hajrulla Çeku, the Vetëvendosje Movement's candidate for MP, has asked for more patience until the results for the February 9 elections begin to be published.
In the KOHA projection, LVV came first in the elections, but with a drop of over 50 percent from the previous elections to just over 42.
"Exit polls only give indications, we must respect the institutions and expect the results, I believe very soon. Be patient a little longer," said the Minister of Culture on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, said that the main issue after the VV victory "is to count all the votes and preserve them."
Publication of preliminary results begins
The Central Election Commission has begun publishing preliminary results.
Their publication is being done online on the "Results" platform, while they are being updated in real time.
So far, only 22 polling stations have been processed.
PDK says it received even more votes than in exit polls
Blerand Stavileci, PDK spokesperson for the 2025 elections, said that this party considers that the final results will present this party better than the results of projections and exit polls published immediately after the elections.
In a press conference, he said that the elections were a victory for the country. He thanked the citizens and the PDK candidate for prime minister, Bedri Hamza.
"We are confident that the will of the citizens is reflected even better than the preliminary results of the exit polls," he said.
According to KOHË's projection of the election results, PDK came in second with 21.3 percent of the vote. Vetëvendosje leads with 42.3.
Police: The electoral process passed without major incidents
Photo illustration
Kosovo Police announced that the election process passed peacefully and without major incidents that could have hindered the process.
In a media release, the Police said on Sunday that in cooperation with the State Prosecutor's Office, 6 cases have been initiated, of which 4 are "criminal offenses against voting rights" and two are criminal cases of "assault on an official person" and "threats".
Police authorities announced that 7 people were escorted to the police station, with 4 of them in custody and 3 released.
"Also, several other cases have been handled, for which, in cooperation and coordination with the competent prosecutors, they have been recorded as official records. It is worth emphasizing that the Kosovo Police has handled every information that has to do with the electoral process, as well as has handled other cases that are not related to the electoral process," the police statement states.
LDK says it received 24%, convinced of Abdixhiku as prime minister
The spokesperson for the Democratic League of Kosovo, Besian Mustafa, said that according to the exit poll, they received 24 percent, a figure that he said would increase after counting the diaspora votes.
At a press conference after the elections, Mustafa expressed his conviction that Lumir Abdixhiku will be the next prime minister.
"We have conducted the largest exit poll ever with 18 thousand respondents. LVV has 34%, LDK 24% and PDK 22%. What is important is that LDK has at least doubled its result from the previous parliamentary elections, not counting the votes of the diaspora, where we expect an excellent result, which will increase our result by 2-3 percent," said Mustafa, as he called on LDK commissioners and observers to save their votes.
According to KOHA's projection, LDK received 20.4 percent.
CEC: Over 40 percent, turnout in the elections
Photo: Driton Pacharada
Turnout in the February 40 elections was over 9 percent, according to data processed from more than 90 percent of polling stations nationwide.
As Valmir Elezi, spokesperson for the CEC, announced at a media conference in the evening, over 789 thousand citizens exercised their right to vote.
He said that in the past elections, over 827 thousand voters exercised their right to vote.
Molliqaj calls on the opposition: Do not form a coalition with Vetëvendosje
The leader of the Social Democratic Party, Dardan Molliqaj, has asked political parties not to form a coalition with the Vetëvendosje Movement.
He described the parliamentary elections held on Sunday as "a victory for Kosovo," while saying that he opposes VV "because it sees the state as property and the citizen as a tool."
Molliqaj said that Propaganda "still holds weight in the face of ideological emptiness."
"This is a victory for Kosovo! The opposition should not, under any circumstances, form a coalition with VETËVENDOSJE. 40% is not a failure, however, it is a warning that propaganda still holds weight in the face of ideological emptiness. We oppose VV because it sees the state as property and the citizen as a tool. Democracy is not only endangered by those who rule, but also by those who have nothing to oppose. Congratulations to everyone!", he wrote.
The CEC website is down.
The official website of the Central Election Commission is experiencing technical problems.
Currently, access to it, where preliminary figures for the election results are being provided, is impossible.
"An error has occurred. Please try again later," the Central Election Commission message says when attempting to access the results platform.
KOHA has meanwhile published its projection on the possible election result.
Projection: Which parties took votes from VV?
The Vetëvendosje Movement has experienced a percentage decrease compared to the 2021 elections, in the February 9, 2025 elections, according to KOHA's projection for the election results.
Of the 1500 respondents, the Vetëvendosje Movement received 42.3 percent of the vote, compared to over 50 percent in the previous elections four years ago.
According to the survey, 85.5 percent of respondents who said they would vote for VV this year had voted for this party in the previous elections. While it was the Democratic League of Kosovo that received the most votes for VV. According to the survey, 7.1 percent of respondents who had voted for VV in 2021 switched to LDK this time. And 4.7 percent of VV voters switched to PDK in 2021. 1.8 percent switched to the List for Families.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo, meanwhile, has retained 95.2 percent of its voters. The LDK has also retained 95.3 percent of its votes.
TIME Projection: How did women and men vote?
Photo: Driton Pacharada
A whopping 46 percent of women voted in support of the Vetëvendosje Movement in the February 9 elections, according to KOHA's projection of the election results.
In percentage terms, out of 1500 respondents, the percentage of men for VV was 39.5 percent.
Meanwhile, PDK, as the second party according to the projection, has received support from 24.7 percent of surveyed men and 16.8 percent of women.
The LDK has a more leveled percentage with 21.6 percent among women and 19.3 percent among men.
AAK has received the support of 6.6 percent of men and 6 percent of women.
The counting of votes begins
/KP
After the closing of the polling centers, the counting of votes has begun in these centers where today's electoral process was organized.
The KosovaPress team is standing at a voting center in the capital, where it is closely following the voting process and the counting of votes by the commissioners.
For the first time, accredited media are allowed to observe the ballot counting process at polling stations for the Kosovo Assembly elections.
The electoral process began at 07:00 and ended at 19:00.
PDK optimistic about election results
Photo: Archive
Photo: Alban Bujari
The Vice President of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Çitaku, has expressed optimism about the election results, thanking citizens for another successful electoral process.
"I thank the citizens of Kosovo for another excellent electoral process. We are proud of the campaign and the election day. We await the results, but already we have reason to be optimistic," Çitaku wrote on Facebook.
She added that after the elections are over, PDK's focus will be on working to make Kosovo better.
According to KOHA's projection, PDK is second with 21.3 percent.
KOHA projection: How many seats will parliamentary parties have?
The Vetëvendosje Movement will once again be the largest parliamentary force in Kosovo, according to the projection of KHOHA for the results of the February 9 elections. However, from the over 50 MPs it secured in the previous elections, this party will now, according to the new calculation, receive 47 seats. The VV has won 42.3 percent of the votes, according to the projection without the diaspora.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League will each have 23 seats in the Assembly.
The AAK-Nisma coalition will be the fourth group with 7 MPs.
The voting process ends, the closing of polling stations begins
Photo: Driton Pacharada
At 19:00, the voting process across the country ended.
The CEC is expected to release data on the exact number of voters.
KOHA projection: VV 42%, PDK 21%, LDK 20%, AAK-Nisma 6%
The Vetëvendosje Movement will win 42.3 percent of the votes of citizens who have exercised their right to vote, according to the KOHA projection, which does not include votes from the diaspora. Translated into Assembly seats, based on this projection with a margin of error of up to 2.54 percentage points, this party will receive 47 seats.
In the 2021 elections, the Vetëvendosje Movement had more than 50 percent of the vote.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo will remain the second party with 21.3 percent of the vote. According to the projection, this party has received 23 seats in the Assembly.
The Democratic League of Kosovo has seen the biggest increase since the 2021 elections. From less than 13 percent, this party now counts 20.4 percent of the vote, based on the projection without the diaspora. In terms of seats, according to the new Assembly formula, this party will also have 23 seats.
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, in coalition with the Social Democratic Initiative and other groups, remains the fourth political force in Kosovo. This party will have 7 MPs. It received 6.3 percent of the votes.
Other political entities have not passed the 5 percent threshold to secure seats in the Assembly.
Allocation of seats in the Assembly:
KOHA conducted the survey with 1500 citizens up to three days before election day. The overall results have a margin of error of up to 2.53 percentage points. Of the 1500 respondents, 1300 are Albanians, 100 Serbs and 100 from other non-majority ethnicities.
The sample was constructed based on population census data in Kosovo, according to the 2024 census.
The sample is stratified into two levels based on the distribution of the 18+ population:
First stratification: For each sub-sample, stratification starts from the municipality level.
Second stratification: Municipalities are then divided at the level of residence (urban/rural).
Field survey procedures:
In each sample unit, starting points are determined (for example, school, mosque, church, etc.)
Surveyors follow the systematic method by visiting every third house on the left side of the street from the starting point.
Within each household, the interview is conducted with the adult whose birthday is closest to the date of the interview.
Weighing after data collection:
The weighting of results is used primarily to correct the overrepresentation of non-majority groups, according to Reko 2025.
The weights also include other variables such as age, gender and municipality, based on participation in the 2021 parliamentary elections in Kosovo.
The suspect for photographing the vote in Zvecan is being escorted to the police station.
Photo: Driton Pacharada
A case of vote photography was reported this afternoon in Zvecan.
The Deputy Director of the Police for the North, Veton Elshani, said that one person has been sent to the station in connection with the case.
"A person was brought to the station in connection with the photographing of the vote. After consultation with the prosecutor, a decision will be made on how to proceed," Elshani said.
According to the latest data from the CEC, as of 15:00 PM, 43.59% or 3 citizens out of 140 eligible voters have voted in this municipality.
During the day, another person was arrested for taking pictures of a ballot at a polling center in Gjilan.
After the interview, the State Prosecutor ordered that the case initiated as "violation of the secrecy of voting" be processed in regular procedure.
CEC: 10 thousand fewer voters than in 2021 by 15:00 PM
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The Central Election Commission has announced that by 15:00 PM, 558.246 citizens or 28.32 percent had exercised their right to vote.
Compared to 2021, there are about 10 fewer votes.
At that time, by 15:00 PM, 567.934 citizens or 32.32 percent had voted.
Two suspects arrested for attack on person near polling station in Viti
Photo: illustration
At least two people were arrested on Sunday in Pozheran, Viti, on suspicion of attacking a citizen.
The incident occurred near the voting center at the "Kongresi i Manastirit" school.
According to sources, the citizen who was the target of the attack had placed a photo of an election candidate (for prime minister) in his car.
Police said that the physical attack occurred, but it cannot be linked to the national elections, as the incident occurred outside the perimeter of the polling station.
Foreign media report on elections in Kosovo, emphasize dialogue with Serbia
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The most prestigious international media outlets reported on Sunday about the holding of parliamentary elections in Kosovo.
"Kosovo votes for new parliament as foreign aid dwindles and talks with Serbia stall," is the headline of the news agency's article. Associated Press.
According to the agency, talks to normalize relations with Serbia have stalled and foreign aid has been called into question.
The AP also reports on the pledges made by the main parties in these elections.
The other news agency "Reuters" writes that "Kosovo holds elections troubled by tensions with Serbia."
Reuters also writes that the election campaign has been harsh and that more than 650,000 euros in fines have been imposed on parties this campaign, triple the amount imposed in 2021.
"The Guardian" has spoken about the impact that Donald Trump's return to the White House could have on Kosovo.
"Kosovo is voting as Trump's shadow causes concerns," writes the British daily “The Guardian", explaining that the fear of separation, which was raised during the first Trump administration, has returned.
"The Guardian" further writes that Kosovo heads to elections that could mark a crossroads in the young country's history and even determine its future territorial integrity in an increasingly hostile world.
Even the French media, "France24" writes that Kosovo votes in parliamentary elections "clouded by tensions with Serbia."
According to the media outlet, these elections could determine who will lead the Kosovo side in the negotiations with Serbia, which stalled last year.
DnV: Easy erasure of matriculation ink poses a problem
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The organization "Democracy in Action" has assessed that the voting process in Kosovo until noon has been calm, without any irregularities or serious incidents.
Eugen Cakolli from DnV said that it remains worrying that there are voters who did not find their names when they showed up at the polling stations.
Meanwhile, he reiterated that the easy erasure of voters' matriculation marks remains a problem, "a problem that can affect and pave the way for double voting."
"Difficulty in finding the names of voters by voters are among the main irregularities that have characterized over 50% of polling stations. It remains worrying that we have 6% of polling stations where the number of voters who have not found their name on the voter list reaches 50," he said.
Cakolli added that there have been cases of voting being photographed.
"Regarding the photographing of votes, this phenomenon is still present. Until 12:00 we had isolated cases of photographing of votes in 4% of polling stations. Regarding incidents, 4% of polling stations have encountered problems, either procedural or of another serious nature."
And, he has also raised a concern regarding the placement of voting booths.
"There have been increased cases when persons identified as CEC staff have asked polling station councils to place voting booths facing each other, returning to the model that we had opposed and for which there is a CEC decision that it constitutes a violation."
Pula: The detection of perpetrators of criminal offenses in elections has evolved, today we are mentioned in the Security Council
Laura Pula, prosecutor and national election coordinator, stated that compared to 2010, the year in which, according to her, the most autocratic elections were held in Kosovo, the detection of perpetrators of criminal offenses has now evolved.
She said that Kosovo has already achieved being a state with electoral democracy, and even being mentioned in the Security Council.
"The methods and detection of perpetrators of criminal acts have evolved a lot, but so has the awareness of citizens in relation to the misuse of votes. Compared to 2010 when the elections were almost the worst, autocratic for the Republic of Kosovo, over the years we have managed to be a democratic state, with electoral democracy. This is a great achievement over the years and to be the object of mention in the Security Council is no small feat for the state of Kosovo," she said on Sunday in a special edition on KTV.
While speaking about the responsibilities of acting prosecutors and those on duty on election day, Pula said that anyone who fails to report irregularities inside polling stations will be held responsible for failure to act in a timely manner.
"We have caretaker prosecutors distributed throughout the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. In the Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica we have two caretaker prosecutors, in all other municipalities that are within the Basic Prosecution Office of Mitrovica there are also prosecutors with shifts, because caretakership at the institution level today is from 07:00 to 23:00. The responsible persons who are elected and monitor the voting process have the obligation to report any irregularities even within the polling stations and if they do not do so, they themselves will be responsible for failure to act in time", added Pula.
Maloku calls polls a trap: A tool for manipulation and misuse
Former member of the Central Election Commission, Fadil Maloku, has said that election polls are a trap that one must be careful of.
In the special edition of KTV for the general elections, Maloku said that polls are a tool of manipulation and misuse and cannot be trusted.
He took as an example the US elections where Hilary Clinton ran against Donald Trump.
"Polls are not a mechanism that accurately shows the state, beliefs and responsibility of the electorate. In the US elections when Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump were candidates, an American professor has been conducting polls for 30 years and has never been wrong. In the 2019 elections, 1 week before the campaign ended, he came up with the proposal and said that Clinton would win by 3-4 percent, but what did the Trump team do? They used a mechanism that had never been used before, they used social media and in a week they overturned that nuance of 3-4 percent and the professor came out publicly saying that polls can only be a tool for manipulation and misuse because they can no longer be a mechanism that can be trusted. I don't think that public responsibility has been raised for these things yet. I think that all those who are professionally involved have fallen into this trap, we must be very careful. It is not sanctioned by our current law," he said.
Maloku added that for genuine elections, several preconditions would need to be created.
"An adequate law, since the law is a mechanism that enables and regulates relations between institutions, between entities as a whole. An adequate body or mechanism such as the Electoral Commission, here too I have had reservations as I continue to think that the Electoral Commission, which emerged from political parties, is not an adequate mechanism for maintaining the entire electoral process since we have representatives of all political entities and it protects the interests of the party, while it is a state institution. This method should be changed and there should be representative judges who protect the interests of the state, not parties, entities, individuals. There are many states that have appointed experienced judges who have legitimacy and positive baggage for the work they have done, since they do not jeopardize the 40-year work they have done with such a step," he said.
AIP calls for the placement of cameras and voting booths to be done in accordance with the law
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The Agency for Information and Privacy (AIP) has called on the Central Election Commission (CEC) to ensure that during the voting process, security cameras and voting booths are installed in full compliance with the Law on the Protection of Personal Data, avoiding any violation of citizens' privacy and the secrecy of the vote.
The agency has also called on political parties to protect citizens' personal data in communications "via electronic mail (e-mail), text messages (SMS) and telephone calls, without prior consent."
The AIP emphasizes that any violation of the principles of personal data protection will be handled in accordance with the Law on Personal Data Protection and the legal powers of the Agency.
Orav: Kosovo citizens must exercise their right to vote
The European Union Ambassador to Kosovo, Aivo Orav, has called on the citizens of Kosovo to exercise their right to vote and freely determine their own elections.
Orav visited a voting center in Vushtrri.
"The EU has deployed the Election Observation Mission in Kosovo to observe all aspects of this process. The people of Kosovo must exercise their right to vote and freely express their choice," Orav wrote on the X platform.
Visited a polling station in Vushtrri/Vučitrn to get a better understanding of the conduct of the elections.
— Aivo Orav (@AivoOrav) February 9, 2025
The EU has deployed @EUEOMKosovo2025 to observe all aspects of this process.
The people of #Kosovo should exercise their right to vote and freely express their choice. pic.twitter.com/TaUgtY0a15
Osmani: I invite citizens to participate in the process that determines the parliament and other institutions
Photo: Driton Pacharada
President Vjosa Osmani said that today is a crucial day for all citizens to contribute to the further development of Kosovo's democracy.
She said she hopes that all citizens exercise their right to vote.
Osmani said that one of the best ways to contribute to the state of Kosovo.
"Kosovo is the most developed democracy in our region, we must keep it that way and we must develop it further, and today is a crucial day for all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo to contribute in this direction, by participating in the most important process by which the future parliament is determined, then other institutions, but also decisions are made that are important for the quality of their lives and our entire country," Osmani declared after voting.
538 prisoners voted at the Dubrava Correctional Center
At the Dubrava Correctional Center, 538 out of 728 prisoners exercised their right to vote.
Voting for the Kosovo elections began at around 9:40.
A number of prisoners were unable to vote because they did not possess identification documents.
CEC: 11% of voters voted by 00:8.58
Photo: Driton Pacharada
As of 11:00, 8.58 percent of registered voters had voted at polling stations in Kosovo.
The Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi, said that compared to previous early elections, in 2021, 11% of voters or 00 citizens had voted by 8.30:145.650 am.
"Based on data from 2343 polling stations out of a total of 2533, as of 11:00, 8.58% or 169,032 voters had voted," he said.
You can see the data on participation in the elections. here
Krasniqi from "D+": Marking ink is being easily erased, increasing the risk of double voting
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The "Democracy Plus" organization has provided the results from three observations of the voting process that began in Kosovo on Sunday.
Albert Krasniqi from "Demokracia Plus" said that colored fingerprints are being easily erased and this increases the risk of double voting.
D+ also found that the voting booth is lower, which increases the risk of violating the secrecy of the vote, and assessed that the possibility of voting for up to ten candidates is unnecessary.
Three observations of "Democracy Plus" from the voting process:
- The fingerprints are easily erased, increasing the risk of double voting. This is a step backwards from the previous practice of using invisible ink, as citizens could be pressured to vote or not to vote.
- The voting booth is lower and voters sit on benches, which increases the risk of violating the secrecy of the vote, especially when another voter is standing.
- The option to vote for up to ten candidates on a list is unnecessary, as polls show that most citizens barely manage to choose four preferences. This process not only slows down voting and counting, but also strengthens the party leaders’ control over the deputies. Local candidates will have a much harder time getting elected, while the leader’s favorites will be favored, who will receive more media coverage.
Suspect arrested for photographing ballots
Photo: Driton Pacharada
Kosovo Police have arrested a person suspected of photographing a ballot at a polling station in Gjilan.
After the interview, the State Prosecutor ordered that the case initiated as "violation of the secrecy of voting" be processed in regular procedure.
The case is still being investigated.
"On 09.02.2025 at around 07:35, the Kosovo Police was notified that inside a voting center located in Gjilan, the center's observers noticed a voter who was suspected of photographing the ballot while inside the voting booth. In accordance with legal obligations and official authorizations, KP officials arrested the suspect inside the voting center and the same was accompanied by regional investigators to the premises of the Investigative Unit where he was interviewed in the presence of his defense attorney," the KP announced.
According to KOHA's sources, the arrested person is an expatriate, who said he was voting for the first time and that he had no information that he did not have the right to photograph the ballot.
Abdixhiku votes, calls on citizens to exercise their right
Photo: Driton Pacharada
Prime Ministerial candidate Lumir Abdixhiku has called on citizens to come out and exercise their right to vote.
He spoke to the media after the vote.
"It is the day of democracy and on this day of democracy I invite the citizens of Kosovo to participate massively in determining their fate for the next four years for themselves and the Republic of Kosovo," said Abdixhiku.
Kurti: Exercise your democratic right to make your voice heard
Photo: Alban Bujari
Prime Ministerial candidate Albin Kurti has called on citizens to exercise their right to vote.
Kurti voted at the voting center at the Faculty of Economics.
"A new day and the first regular parliamentary elections in the independent state of Kosovo. I thank all citizens who have voted so far, I encourage everyone to vote. Exercise your democratic right to make your voice heard. Use the chance of freedom to decide for the next 4 years. Congratulations and success," Kurti said.
Hamza Votes: Use your right to vote
Photo: KOHA
The candidate for prime minister, Bedri Hamza, has urged all citizens to come out and vote and has emphasized that any election result will be acceptable to him.
"I ask all citizens of Kosovo to exercise this right, their right to vote, to elect the Government for the next four years, I hope that everything goes well, I believe that everything will go well, there is no reason and in the end the sovereign decides... for me, any result that the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo vote for is acceptable," Hamza emphasized, after exercising his right to vote.
Over 100 EU observers in Kosovo, Loiseau: Committed to monitoring the electoral process
The Head of the European Union Election Observation Mission in Kosovo (EOM), Nathalie Loiseau, Member of the European Parliament, has stated that with 104 EU observers on the ground, they are closely monitoring the electoral process.
She emphasized that they aim to assess whether polling stations are opening on time, whether the necessary materials are present, and how the electoral process is taking place.
While he announced that a full assessment will be given at a press conference on Tuesday.
"The European Union Election Observation Mission is on the ground throughout Kosovo. Our observers started work early this morning to ensure a full assessment of the electoral process. I am currently in Pristina, yesterday I was in Prizren. The day before I was in North Mitrovica and today I will travel to several other locations outside Pristina to see the situation up close. Our aim is to assess whether the polling stations opened on time, whether all the necessary materials are present and how the electoral process is taking place. At this stage, it is still too early to draw conclusions. A full assessment will be given at our press conference on Tuesday," she said.
She further emphasized that the European Union fully supports democracy in Kosovo.
"With 104 EU observers on the ground, we are committed to closely monitoring the electoral process. The European Union fully supports democracy in Kosovo and wants to ensure that all voters can exercise their right," she added.
Otherwise, for the elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, the State Prosecutor has also made all the necessary preparations to implement vote protection.
This is stated in the announcement of the prosecution, adding that around 100 prosecutors and a sufficient number of prosecutorial system personnel have been engaged in these elections, who will remain in charge until the end of the electoral process, in order to proceed with any irregularities that may occur in this year's elections./KSP
DnV: 9% of polling stations opened late, mostly due to lack of commissioners
9 percent of polling stations in Kosovo opened late on Sunday, the organization "Democracy in Action" (DnV) announced.
Ismet Kryeziu from DnV, at a press conference regarding the voting process for the parliamentary elections, said that in most cases, delays in the opening of voting centers occurred due to the lack of commissioners.
"Out of 2589 polling stations, 9% of these polling stations opened late. It was reported that the cause of the delays was the lack of commissioners in 6% of the polling stations," said Kryeziu.
He added that they also noticed several irregularities and incidents.
"Election rules prohibit the placement of posters and other materials within the permitted diameter of 100 meters, we have seen that in 3% of voting centers we still have posters or material from political parties."
"We have two incidents, one is the incident with DnV observers in Prizren where access to information was denied by polling station leaders, respectively at the 'Abdyl Frashëri' and 'Motrat Qiriazi' centers," he emphasized.
Kryeziu emphasized that some polling stations continue to be inaccessible to people with disabilities.
"A number of polling stations continue to be inaccessible to people with disabilities. In 20% of polling stations, people with disabilities had obstacles in their access to vote."
The DnV has engaged around 500 observers.
Haradinaj votes, invites citizens to vote
Photo: Archive
Photo: Alban Bujari
Prime Ministerial candidate Ramush Haradinaj, after casting his vote, invited all citizens to exercise their right to vote.
"Good job to those who are in charge of the electoral process today, it has started well and all the information is that it has started well throughout the country, with the exception of conditional voting, where there are some delays... I call on all citizens, go out and vote, your vote is only valid in the box, Kosovo needs your vote", declared Haradinaj.
Five people suspected of "violating the free determination of voters" in the north are detained
Photo: Illustration
The Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica has announced that in two different cases it has detained five people on suspicion of "violating the free determination of voters".
Four people have been detained in one case and another in another.
"The State Prosecutors, who are on duty today, will act urgently in every case that may arise in order to prevent possible abuses during this electoral process. The State Prosecutor once again invites the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, all political entities, institutions or various organizations, to report to the relevant prosecutor's offices any case in which they suspect that the vote is being abused or manipulated in any way and by anyone," the State Prosecutor announced.
According to police reports, four women were arrested in a case in Zubin-Potok, while a man was arrested for a case that reportedly occurred in North Mitrovica.
Around 100 prosecutors engaged to monitor the election process
Photo: Driton Pacharada
The State Prosecutor has made all necessary preparations to implement vote protection for the elections for the Kosovo Assembly on Sunday.
The Prosecutor's Office has announced that around 100 prosecutors and a sufficient number of prosecutorial system personnel have been engaged in these elections, who will remain on duty until the end of the electoral process, in order to proceed with any irregularities that may occur in this year's elections.
"Prosecutors will remain in their offices in cities where basic prosecution offices exist, while in those places where the prosecution does not have a facility, prosecutors will remain in police stations, where in cooperation with Kosovo Police investigators they will be in defense of the free vote of citizens," the announcement states.
Meanwhile, the national coordinator for elections, prosecutor Laura Pula, will oversee the entire implementation of the tasks of the regional coordinators, engaged prosecutors and the prosecutor on duty at the CEC.
The State Prosecutor has called for reporting to the relevant prosecutors any case in which they suspect that the vote is being misused or manipulated in any way and by anyone.
The police have also announced the four key phases of the police operational plan for the elections.
Police said that police officers began working a 12-hour shift, starting at 3 a.m.
"This operational plan has foreseen four phases: Pre-election or preparatory assessment period; Commitment to providing security during the election campaign; Guaranteeing security in the key phase of election day (Z); The post-election period which foresees the transport under KP escort and security of sensitive material until the end of the process", according to the Police plan.
The police have said that two phases of the plan have been implemented.
“The Kosovo Police remains committed to carrying out its legal duties and responsibilities in a professional manner towards citizens and the country, as well as to being transparent about its police work and commitments,” the Police said. “We encourage all citizens to cooperate with the Kosovo Police and competent institutions, and to report any illegal cases related to security and the electoral process, or even outside of them.”
CEC: All polling stations were opened on time
Valmir Elezi, spokesperson for the Central Election Commission
All polling stations opened on time, at 7 am, said CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi.
Elezi has provided the first information about the voting process.
"Election material was distributed early and on time. Based on the information so far, the voting process has begun in all voting centers in Kosovo, in 903 with a total of 2533 polling stations. In addition to regular voting, as you know, the CEC has designated 38 conditional voting centers, one in each municipality," he said.
According to the voter list, the number of Kosovo citizens with the right to vote is 1,970,944 voters. The number of certified political entities is 28, of which 20 political parties, five coalitions, two civic initiatives and one independent candidate.
However, there have been reports of delays at some polling stations in Prizren and also in Pristina.
Voting also begins in North Mitrovica
All polling stations in northern Mitrovica have opened in time for the parliamentary elections being held in Kosovo on Sunday.
In North Mitrovica, there are a total of six centers with 24 polling stations, while 18 citizens will have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.
In the four northern municipalities of the country, Leposavić, Zvečan, Zubin-Potok and North Mitrovica, there are a total of 44 voting centers with 74 polling stations, where 46 citizens will be able to vote.
Serbs in the north had massively boycotted the extraordinary local elections in the four northern municipalities, after the Serbian List, the main Serb party in Kosovo, withdrew from Kosovo's institutions.
Radoniqi calls for a peaceful and democratic process
The Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi, has invited all citizens to come out to vote and has called for a peaceful and democratic process.
Radoniqi also provided details about voting from the diaspora.
"We now have the data for America and Canada. Somewhere over 15 thousand have voted in diplomatic missions there. Everything is ready. The CEC is on duty and we hope for a festive day," said Radoniqi after voting in Peja.
He also talked about the trouble he had with the finger pointer.
"The truth is that the contracting company initially supplied us with ink that had been erased. But, after the evaluation committee noticed it in time, they returned the markers and the company provided us with regular markers," said Radoniqi.
Regarding the transportation of votes from Croatia, Radonić said that it involves about 30 votes.
He said that the mistake was made because procedures were not respected and observers were not notified when they withdrew, but that the people who withdrew the votes were authorized.
"There will be a recommendation from the secretariat and based on the recommendation we will make a decision at the CEC," said Radoniqi.
Voting centers are opened
Photo: Archive
Photo: Driton Pacharada
Voting centers have opened across all locations in Kosovo.
The Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi, was the first to vote.
He cast his vote in Peja.
Over 2 million citizens, inside and outside Kosovo, have the right to vote.
Influx of immigrants to vote
Photo: Illustration
Nearly half of the voting body of more than 2 million citizens are Kosovo citizens living abroad, and many of them arrived in Pristina on Saturday, with the intention of voting on Sunday.
For expatriates, voting at embassies and consulates has been made possible for the first time, while the option of voting by mail has also existed in previous elections.
But, many of those who have not been able to successfully apply have traveled to Kosovo.
In addition to border entries, on Saturday a large influx of citizens arrived through Pristina Airport, where they were welcomed with drums.
One of them, Ahmet Sylejmani, told KSP that the route was very easy, since he was part of an organized group.
"Very well, we were all there, as you can see. We were singing the whole time and we were together," said Sylejmani.
Another immigrant, Andin Musa, emphasized that he came to Kosovo "with joy and happiness."
"We were all happy about this work... Very happy, joyful," said Musa.
Lumnije Hajdini-Smajli also said that she traveled specifically to vote.
"I came specifically for the vote and the flight was very good. We were happy, emotional," she said.
Political entities have also organized transportation for expatriates who want to vote on Sunday. Since Friday, there have been reports of an influx of vehicles entering Kosovo.
The Voter List for the February 9 elections has over 2 million citizens over the age of 18. However, since, according to the latest census, Kosovo has just over one million residents of voting age, it turns out that half of the number on the Voter List are citizens living abroad. Of these, over 100 thousand have registered to vote by mail, while about 20 thousand at embassies and consulates, a process that was completed on Saturday.
Kosovo votes
Photo from the archive
The presence of a large number of police officers on Saturday morning at the Counting and Registration Center in Fushë-Kosovo is part of the preparations for the start of a very important task. Trucks lined up one after the other, after being loaded with election material, including ballots, boxes and voting booths for the parliamentary elections on Sunday, February 9.
From this center, each truck was escorted by police teams to municipal centers throughout Kosovo.
And from there, CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi said that the material will be distributed early Sunday morning to each polling center.
"This election material has been sent to 38 municipal centers and then in the early hours of Sunday morning it will be distributed to all voting centers, which will open at 07:00," said Elezi.
The "1 Tetori" Gymnasium is the Municipal Counting Center for Pristina. There, the staff responsible for the smooth running of the election process received the voting booths and the ink for marking the vote.
By decision of the CEC, 1,752,650 ballots were printed for Sunday's elections, of which 1,664,100 are for voting at regular polling stations; 28,450 for conditional votes; 38,650 for voting by persons with special needs, as well as reserve ballots; and 21,450 are for voting at diplomatic missions.
"The number of citizens with the right to vote is 1,970,944. So, all of them are distributed in 903 voting centers, where the regular voting process will take place with 2533 polling stations," said spokesman Elezi.
In each of Kosovo's 38 municipalities, it will be available from a conditional voting center.
Sunday's elections are the first to be held after the amendment of the Law on General Elections, which brings several changes to the process. Within them, citizens will be able to choose from 10 candidates for deputies, unlike 5, as they were able to in the previous elections. Meanwhile, in each voting center there will no longer be the possibility of conditional voting, but only one within a municipality.
There will be cameras installed at polling stations and even at counting centers.
"The installation of surveillance cameras in the spaces inside the polling station is done with the aim of guaranteeing the security of electoral materials and preserving the integrity of the voting and counting process at the polling station. The installation of cameras in polling stations will be done by fully ensuring the secrecy of the vote, as they will be placed at the other end of the place where the voting booth will be located and under no circumstances will they be able to record the voter's preference marking. The preservation of camera recordings will be temporary until the destruction of the electoral material, with the exception of those from polling stations where irregularities are identified in order to provide them to law enforcement institutions", Elezi announced. "On election day, the CEC will not monitor these cameras, so their recording will be done passively and access to video recordings can only be provided by decision or request of law enforcement institutions".
Meanwhile, the election silence, one day before the elections, has also been removed. With the new law, election silence is considered only during the hours when voting centers are open, that is, from 7:00 on Sunday to 19:00.
Another change will allow party results to be published in record time, as only party results will be counted at polling stations, while at municipal centers only results for candidates will be counted.
"On election day, only the part of the ballot where citizens have voted for political entities will be counted at polling stations. This allows the CEC to quickly publish the preliminary results for political entities. The following day, unlike in previous elections, the Municipal Counting Centers will begin counting the rest of the ballot, i.e. votes for candidates for deputies," said spokesman Elezi.
And, Saturday was voting day in Kosovo's diplomatic missions, as this was made possible by new legal changes. 43 polling stations were open in the missions, and 2 of them will open in Kosovo on Sunday.
Since the post-war period, this year's elections are the first to be held within the regular constitutional deadline, as previous ones were premature.
Before the voting date, political entities had 30 days to conduct pre-election campaigns.
The coalition of non-governmental organizations "Democracy in Action" (DnV) has found that the campaign has been characterized by harsh political discourse and escalation of hate speech that, according to it, has damaged democratic standards.
Based on the findings of the DnV, political entities are more focused on attacks and accusations against other competing parties, rather than on unveiling their programs.
Ismet Kryeziu, executive director of KDI, an organization that is part of the coalition, spoke about the incidents recorded during the campaign.
"The incidents we should highlight are the Skenderaj incident or other incidents that have occurred in municipalities with a Serbian community, such as the shooting of official CEC vehicles, but incidents that, within the parameters of democracy, have not managed to hinder the development of the competition, equality in the competition or the right to compete," said Kryeziu.
He emphasized that during the campaign, cases of obstruction of the work of journalists in the field were also identified.
"The media have not been able to do their job sufficiently and in some cases journalists from certain media outlets have been prevented from exercising their function, to achieve an equal, transparent and informative approach for citizens," said Kryeziu.
For violations of the Election Law, the DnV announced that the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) has imposed fines on parties in the amount of over 650 thousand euros.
