UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, February 2, 2026

Abdixhiku wins vote of confidence to continue to lead LDK (media)
CEC announces the final results for parties, except for Serbian List (media)
Djuric: CEC decision another serious blow to political rights of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
34 people detained on suspicion of vote manipulation (Radio Free Europe)
Krasniqi: Multiethnic parliamentary group ready to contribute to formation of institutions (Koha)
Peci interviewed as suspect in case involving grants by Ministry of Agriculture (Koha)
Transparency concerns as Kosovo parties spent millions on election campaigns (Prishtina Insight)
Ziv’s message on five years of Kosovo-Israel diplomatic relations (media)
Jahjaga and Pacolli deny ever meeting or communicating with Epstein (media)
North Mitrovica assembly annuls street renaming decision adopted by previous term (Kossev)
Serbian judicial changes accused of weakening fight against corruption (BIRN)

Abdixhiku wins vote of confidence to continue to lead LDK (media)

All news websites reported over the weekend that Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku won a vote of confidence in the party’s assembly on Saturday. Abdxhiku had offered his resignation following the party’s poor results in the December 28 parliamentary elections, and that the LDK assembly would decide on the matter. 164 party delegates voted against the resignation, while 135 voted in favor. Koha reported in its coverage that the LDK assembly also gave Abdixhiku greater authorizations and decided on a deep restructuring which also includes changes to the party’s chairmanship.

CEC announces the final results for parties, except for Serbian List (media)

All news websites reported on Saturday that Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the final results for parties in the December 28 parliamentary elections, with the exception of the results for the Serbian List after two Vetevendosje representatives in the body voted against it. Serbian List MP Igor Simic said the CEC’s refusal to announce the final results for the SL was “illegitimate and politically motivated”. He also said that the SL would appeal the decision at the Elections Complaints and Appeals Panel.

Djuric: CEC decision another serious blow to political rights of Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric, assessed that the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) in Pristina not to approve the publication of the election results for the Serb List represents yet another serious blow to the political rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo. “Particularly concerning is the fact that such a move is taking place precisely at the moment when the European Union is beginning the process of lifting measures against the government of Albin Kurti, which proves to be a step that has clearly not contributed to halting pressures on Serbs and other non-majority communities in Kosovo, nor has the announcement of their removal contributed to calming the situation or respecting democratic standards,” Djuric wrote on the social media platform X.

According to him, instead of de-escalation and restoring trust, we are witnessing new moves that, as he points out, deepen mistrust and confirm that the systematic disenfranchisement of Serbs remains the practice rather than the exception. “Serbia will continue to inform all relevant international partners about this and insist on the full respect of the political and electoral rights of the Serbian people,” Djuric said.

34 people detained on suspicion of vote manipulation (Radio Free Europe)

Kosovo’s authorities detained on Sunday 34 out of 43 people they had interviewed on the suspicion of manipulation of votes of candidates for MPs in the December 28 parliamentary elections. They were ordered to 48 hours in detention.

The Basic Prosecution in Mitrovica said on Sunday that it had ordered the Kosovo Police Investigations Department to interview the chairs of the Municipal Counting Centers in Mitrovica North, Mitrovica South, Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan.

The news website notes that over the last couple of days, authorities in Kosovo have interviewed hundreds of people in different municipalities and have detained dozens of them on suspected vote manipulation.

Krasniqi: Multiethnic parliamentary group ready to contribute to formation of institutions (Koha)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that the multiethnic parliamentary group is committed to giving its contribution to the swift formation of new institutions. He said the group would consist of eight MPs from the KDTP, VAKAT, NDS, IRDK, SPO and LPRK.

Peci interviewed as suspect in case involving grants by Ministry of Agriculture (Koha)

Most news websites reported on Friday that the Special Prosecution of Kosovo interviewed former Minister of Agriculture, Faton Peci, as a suspect in the case involving grants given by the Ministry of Agriculture. “We inform you that Mr. Faton Peci has been interviewed as a suspect in the case of grants which is being treated by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo,” the prosecution said in a statement.

Media recall that in November 2024, LDK MP Paris Guri had filed a lawsuit against Peci accusing him of misusing public funds and claiming that the brother and uncle of Vetevendosje MP Fitore Pacolli had received grants from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Transparency concerns as Kosovo parties spent millions on election campaigns (Prishtina Insight)

KALLXO.com has estimated that Kosovo’s political parties spent almost 5 million euros on electoral campaigns for the February parliamentary elections and the October local elections. Money was mainly spent on advertising, although full transparency remains an issue.

Kosovo’s social media sphere in 2025 was filled with campaigning politicians as the country was overrun with polls, one local election, their runoffs in many of the municipalities, and two parliamentary elections.

Social media expert Diamant Bajra told Prishtina Insight that modern campaigns are no longer measured solely by rallies and fieldwork but by online presence, reach, and influence.

“Never before have parties and candidates been more interested in digital presence, as citizens’ attention has shifted significantly from traditional communication to social platforms,” Bajra explained, adding that, “this has made social media sponsorship one of the main campaign tools.”

Indeed, Kosovo’s major political parties spent millions on election campaigns in 2025.

Campaign expenditure for the December 28 snap parliamentary election are not yet available because parties are obliged to file a financial report at the Central Election Commission, CEC, only after election results are certified.

Read more at: https://2cm.es/1iWCk

Ziv’s message on five years of Kosovo-Israel diplomatic relations (media)

Most news websites covered on Sunday a post on X by Israeli Ambassador Tamara Ziv congratulating Israel and Kosovo on five years of diplomatic relations. “May they continue to develop and flourish,” she wrote.

Jahjaga and Pacolli deny ever meeting or communicating with Epstein (media)

In the latest documents published by the US Department of Justice on Jeffrey Epstein, two former presidents of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga and Behgjet Pacolli, were also mentioned. Both of them however denied ever having met Epstein. An advisor to Jahjaga told Koha that the former president “never met Epstein”, “never requested a meeting with him” and “did not know who he was”. Pacolli told the news website: “I never met him, communicated with him … Only know I hear about his existence”.

North Mitrovica assembly annuls street renaming decision adopted by previous term (Kossev)

The Municipal Assembly of North Mitrovica voted on Friday to annul a controversial decision on the renaming of streets, concluding that the move adopted by the previous assembly term was not in line with legal procedures and failed to reflect the will of the majority Serbian population.

At a regular session, the assembly majority agreed that the decision—under which dozens of streets were renamed last year—had been adopted without proper public consultation and outside established legal frameworks. As a result, the decision was formally repealed, despite opposition from two councillors representing the Albanian community.

Twelve councillors voted in favor of annulling the decision, while two voted against. The issue was added to the agenda following the decision of the previous assembly, adopted on August 25 last year, when the names of 87 streets in North Mitrovica were changed. The annulment was opposed by Deputy Chairperson Aida Ferati Doli of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and Emir Azemi of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

During the debate, Serbian List councillor Ivan Zaporozac proposed that the decision be repealed, citing what he described as “violations of legal procedures”. Referring to the previous assembly’s decision to rename 85 streets, Zaporožac said that both before and after its adoption, a “series of irregularities” had been identified that, in his words, “called the legality of the decision into question.”