At the meeting of the Kosovo Legislation Committee, a total of 56 amendments to the Draft Law on General Elections have been filed. Serbian MPs have filed 11 amendments, and only one was accepted. MP, Milivoje Stojanovic explained the amendments, on behalf of Serbian MPs. “Sreten Ivanovic is the only Serbian representative, in the Legislation Committee. The adoption of the amendments in the committee requires a majority of deputies. That’s how the vote of only one Serbian representative in the Legislation Committee was not enough,” said Stojanovic.
The only amendment of Serbian MPs which was accepted, relates to the deadline for submission of requests, for registration in the electoral roll. Instead of 70 days as stipulated by the current law on elections, it is shortened to 45 days. This change is important for early elections, because they must be held within 45 days from the day of the Assembly dissolution. That’s how the form for registration in the electoral roll must be filed on the same day when the parliament was dissolved.
However, other proposed amendments were not accepted. Rejected amendments are on guaranteeing voting rights to IDPs, bigger number of minority MPs in the Assembly, as well as increasing of the representation of the Serbian community in the municipal election commissions (in municipalities with Serbian majority). “The adoption of the electoral law discourages the Serbian community and may complicate participation in the next parliamentary elections. By our proposed amendments we just wanted to keep the same level of the rights, as guaranteed by the old electoral law,” said Stojanovic.
The proposal of the Election Law should soon be discussed in the Committee on the rights and interests of the communities, where the proposed changes are more likely to receive support. The amendments may be submitted during the plenary session when MPs will vote on final adoption of this law.
