Investigations into vote theft - arrests in Prizren, "information gathering" in other municipalities

Although the recount of votes in several municipalities has revealed significant differences between the initial and final counts, only the Basic Prosecution Office in Prizren has taken concrete investigative actions. The other basic prosecution offices, despite dealing with the same phenomenon, say they are still in the pre-investigation phase.

Naim Jakaj, a researcher at the Kosovo Justice Institute, has called for the expansion of investigations into vote theft in all municipalities. 

Jakaj says that a deputy can win the mandate with just two more votes than the other candidate, therefore the manipulation of even a single vote should be investigated. 

"Theft is theft and the basic prosecutor's offices in places where there is alleged falsification of the election result, whether it is 20 votes or 30 votes or 200 votes, the prosecution must intensify and expand the investigations in order to include those commissioners who may have distorted the election result," said Jakaj. 

Apart from the Basic Prosecution Office in Prizren, which has interviewed 109 people and has approved four requests for the detention of 23 commissioners, other prosecution offices are still in the pre-investigation phase. 
The Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina on Monday authorized the police to collect information regarding suspicions of vote manipulation in Drenas. 

Information gathering by the police is a preliminary stage of investigations.

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"Considering this circumstance, the state prosecutor today issued an authorization to the Kosovo Police with the aim of collecting information and identifying possible violations by the responsible persons, as well as securing evidence regarding this matter," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

In Drenas, the recount ended on Sunday and the results showed that the PDK candidate, Fadil Demaku, who comes from this municipality, received 222 votes during the initial count. The Prosecutor's Office statement said that they are also monitoring the results of other municipalities in the Pristina region to make similar decisions. 

The recount has only been completed in Drenas and Gracanica, while in Pristina, Podujevo, Lipjan, Fushë Kosova and Obiliq the process is continuing. 

On Friday, the Basic Prosecution Office in Gjakova also announced that it had authorized the police to collect information regarding the manipulations in Malisheva, where the recount revealed that PDK candidate Gazmend Maliqaj had been given over 900 votes during the initial count. Differences of hundreds of votes between the two counts in Malisheva were also found for other candidates from PDK, Vetëvendosje, LDK, AAK and Nisma.

The recount process in Gjakova also revealed differences of hundreds of votes for three candidates, Adonjeta Zymberi-Selmani and Hajdar Beqë of PDK, and Agon Batushë of LVV. 

The Basic Prosecutor's Office in Gjakova did not indicate whether the counting process in this municipality is also being investigated. 

"We inform you that the Basic Prosecution Office in Gjakova, within the framework of its legal competences, is monitoring the process of recounting the election results from outside," they said in response. 

The Basic Prosecution Office in Peja, in a response to KOHA, said that it has authorized the police to collect information for a week and is awaiting this institution's response. 

"The Chief Prosecutor of the Basic Prosecution Office in Peja, on January 19, authorized the Kosovo Police to undertake investigative actions regarding the vote counting process. We are currently awaiting the findings from the Kosovo Police based on the authorization issued by the Chief Prosecutor, and after receiving the reports from the Kosovo Police, further actions will be taken," the Peja Prosecutor's Office said.

In the recount of 10% of the ballot boxes in Peja, it turns out that the most votes that citizens did not cast were recorded for PDK candidate Xhavit Haliti – 34, who comes from this municipality. And 33 votes were added to Vetëvendosje candidate Taulant Kelmendi, who during the local elections was this party's candidate for mayor of Peja. 

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Klina also fell under the jurisdiction of the Peja Prosecutor's Office. In this municipality, the PDK candidate, Ariana Musliu-Shoshi, benefited the most from vote manipulation with 201 votes. 
The Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica has announced that it has granted authorization to collect information. 

"On January 19, the Basic Prosecution of Mitrovica authorized the Kosovo Police, the Regional Investigation Unit South and North, to undertake information-gathering actions on this matter. So far, no person has been interviewed or detained," the institution's response states.

The recount in South Mitrovica has reached 25%, and so far the biggest beneficiary of vote manipulation in this municipality is former mayor Agim Bahtiri, LVV candidate with 54 votes.

In the four northern municipalities, the recount process has been fully completed. The candidate who benefited the most from the manipulation is Srdjan Milosavljevic of the Serbian List with 53 votes. 

And in Vushtrri, also a municipality under the jurisdiction of the Mitrovica Prosecution Office, the biggest beneficiary of the manipulation during the initial count is Sulejman Meholli, the former LVV candidate for mayor of Vushtrri. 

The Basic Prosecution Office in Gjilan told KOHA that the authorization to collect information was issued on Tuesday of last week. 

"The Basic Prosecution Office in Gjilan on January 20, 2026, based on the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kosovo, has authorized the Kosovo Police to undertake investigative actions regarding the results of the vote recount - possible manipulations with the election results in the Municipalities of the Gjilan region," they said in response to KOHË's questions.

In this municipality, the biggest beneficiary of the manipulation is Arijeta Rexhepi of LVV with 40 votes. In LDK, the former mayoral candidate, Arbër Ismajli, leads with 31 votes. While in PDK, the biggest beneficiaries are Aurore Osmani-Buca with 27 votes and the former mayoral candidate from this party, Riad Rashiti, with 25 votes. 

And in Viti, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Gjilan Prosecutor's Office, the biggest beneficiary of vote manipulation is the former Vetëvendosje candidate for mayor of this municipality, Arsim Ademi, with 145 votes. Behind him is the LDK candidate, Vjollca Kadolli-Halili, with 139.  

The early parliamentary elections were held on December 28 last year, while the counting process ended on January 3. However, on January 13, the CEC began the recount process after a sample of 2% of verified votes revealed manipulation of candidates' votes.

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