• Suspected vote manipulation, police authorized to identify perpetrators (media)
• Kurti meets foreign ambassadors, heads of mission and diplomatic reps (media)
• Kosovo phases in enforcement of traffic and immigration laws (PI)
• Police hands out leaflets on foreigners and vehicle regulations at crossings (TV Most)
• Kosovo Serb politician’s murder anniversary marked as masterminds remain at large (BIRN)
• No headscarves in Kosovo's public school classrooms (Deutsche Welle)
• Gogic: Court should rule on Serbian List’s appeal as soon as possible (Kosovo Online)
• Janjic: US will present an official document on Kosovo-Serbia mutual recognition (media)

Suspected vote manipulation, police authorized to identify perpetrators (media)

Most news websites reported on Sunday that following suspicions about vote manipulation in the municipality of Prizren after the parliamentary elections, chief prosecutor Petrit Kryeziu has authorized the Kosovo Police to identify those responsible, to secure evidence, including their signatures. Kryeziu confirmed the information to Koha news website, adding that anyone who was involved in manipulating the voting results should not feel calm. “Now that the recount of vote is nearing its end, we have come across apparent manipulations during the counting of votes within political parties in the Prizren. In my capacity as chief prosecutor, I have initiated a written authorization to the Kosovo Police to identify those responsible and to secure the relevant evidence. Anyone that has put their signatures by falsifying the election results and by changing the will of the people, should not feel calm, because they will be held legally accountable. Vote manipulation and falsifying election documents are a crime, and they will be punished without compromise,” Kryeziu said.

Radio Free Europe notes in its coverage that after the vote recount so far, there is an apparent difference in the number of votes for candidates within political parties. 

With tens of thousands of ballots with errors found so far, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj has called for a total vote recount in Kosovo. He said in a Facebook post that “without a total recount, the integrity of elections cannot be ensured”. 

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku has also called for a total vote recount across Kosovo. He also said that whoever has threatened the free vote should be sent to jail.

Most news websites also report that Kosovo’s Central Election Commission will meet today, and it is not known yet whether a decision will be made for a total recount of vote across Kosovo.

Eugen Cakolli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute said that the prosecution should launch investigations and penal prosecution over the manipulation of votes for candidates for MPs. “The names of commissioners for every counting table at the Counting Centers are known. But these manipulations were not done by the commissioners on their own. Tens and hundreds of manipulated votes in a single polling station, and thousands at the level of municipality – mainly for certain candidates and in their municipalities – are neither a coincidence nor a human error,” he argued in a Facebook post.

Kurti meets foreign ambassadors, heads of mission and diplomatic reps (media)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, together with caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, met on Friday in Pristina with ambassadors, chargés d’affaires, heads of diplomatic missions and diplomatic representatives accredited to Kosovo. Kurti informed them about the phases of implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles, these laws harmonized with the legislation of the European Union and the affirmative actions that the Kosovo’s institutions will undertake for the full implementation of these two laws.

A press release issued by the Kosovo government notes that the first phase of implementation, which started on Friday, foresees a period of information on the implementation of the legal provisions. Visitors entering the border crossings will be provided with information materials, which provide clear instructions on the rights, obligations and relevant procedures arising from the legislation in force. In parallel, information sessions with citizens, an information campaign through the media, an information hotline, etc. will be organized. This phase will last until March 15 of this year, when full implementation begins. The implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles aims to facilitate the stay of non-resident citizens in Kosovo.

Kurti also informed the ambassadors on the necessity of starting the gradual integration of the health and education systems, as part of a comprehensive and long-term approach. He said that the integration process would be carried out in coordination with the European Union and ensuring that the concerns and advice of the non-majority Serb community in Kosovo are taken into account.

Kosovo phases in enforcement of traffic and immigration laws (PI)

Kosovo authorities launched an information campaign on the traffic and foreigners legal framework before full enforcement in mid-March of laws that Serbia considers “institutional pressure” against Kosovo Serbs.

On Friday, Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs shared information on the laws on traffic and foreigners, one day after Kosovo acting PM Besnik Bislimi announced an implementation campaign on the laws affecting foreign-registered vehicles and non-residents.

In a post on Facebook, on Thursday afternoon, Bislimi explained that the informational period would be in place for two months before full enforcement starts on March 15.

“After this period, full implementation of the procedures and rules envisaged by these laws will begin,” Bislimi wrote on Facebook, adding that, “this affirmative implementation period should be used to the maximum extent to initiate the process of substantive integration of the healthcare system and the education system throughout the entire country.”

Under the Kosovo Law on Traffic, vehicles with foreign license plates are not allowed to circulate in Kosovo for more than three months or on the basis of a special authorisation.

Veton Elshani, Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police Regional Directorate in the north of Kosovo, told Kallxo.com that a Kosovo citizen cannot drive a vehicle with foreign license plates unless the vehicle’s owner is present.

“Similarly, a Kosovo citizen of Serbian ethnicity cannot drive a Serbian-registered vehicle with authorisation unless they have a Serbian ID and/or hold dual citizenship,” Elshani explained.

According to the Kosovo Law on Foreigners, individuals entering Kosovo for employment, family reunification, education, or other legal grounds must report to the police within 72 hours and obtain a residence permit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Read more at: https://shorten.ly/SLvt

Police hands out leaflets on foreigners and vehicle regulations at crossings (TV Most)

Kosovo Police have launched an information campaign concerning the future implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles at all border crossings and at Pristina International Airport. Kosovo Police announced the information in a Facebook post, saying that the purpose of the campaign is to raise public awareness of the legal procedures that must be respected when entering and staying in Kosovo, as well as the rules that apply to the operation of vehicles within its territory. The campaign is scheduled to run until 15 March 2026. As part of this initiative, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo released two informational documents. The first document is intended for foreign nationals and outlines the legal obligations related to entry, residence and employment in Kosovo. The second document provides guidance for drivers entering Kosovo with foreign number plates, meaning vehicles registered in another state. The campaign aims to ensure that travellers and drivers are informed in advance about the requirements that will apply once the laws come into full effect.

Kosovo Serb politician’s murder anniversary marked as masterminds remain at large (BIRN)

In the northern Kosovo town of North Mitrovica, at the site of Oliver Ivanovic’s assassination, family members, friends and political allies marked the eighth anniversary of his death by lighting candles on Friday.

Four people have been convicted of involvement in his death but those who ordered and carried out the murder have never been held accountable.

Marko Jaksic, from Ivanovic’s party and a councillor in the North Mitrovica Assembly, said that he would have liked to see more people gathered at the site of the murder on the anniversary, as that would have meant that “the city has changed”.

“From the very beginning until today, almost the same people have been gathering at this very spot. I neither expected fewer nor more people than those who are here today,” KoSSev reported him as saying.

The commemoration in North Mitrovica was also attended by opposition politicians and activists from Serbia. Ivanovic’s party was in opposition to the main, Belgrade-backed Kosovo Serb party, Srpska Lista. Before his death, Ivanovic has expressed fears that he might be targeted.

Read more at: https://shorten.ly/NxlJ0F

No headscarves in Kosovo's public school classrooms (Deutsche Welle)

Although largely Muslim, Kosovo is a secular state. While its constitution guarantees religious freedom, a government directive bans "religious uniforms" in public schools. For some, this is discriminatory.

In accordance with the country's constitution, Kosovo is a secular state that guarantees religious freedom.

In line with this principle, the Ministry of Education has issued a directive that stipulates that "religious uniforms" may not be worn in public schools.

Over 95% of the population of Kosovo is Muslim, which means that Muslim girls who want to wear a headscarf to a public school can face problems. Some feel the rule discriminates against Muslim girls and are determined to challenge it.

Watch more at: https://shorten.ly/abmQAw

Gogic: Court should rule on Serbian List’s appeal as soon as possible (Kosovo Online)

Political commentator Ognjen Gogic said that for the efficient formation of new institutions in Kosovo and for ensuring their legal validity, it is necessary for the Constitutional Court to issue its decision as soon as possible regarding the appeal submitted by the Serbian List concerning the election of Nenad Rasic as deputy speaker of the previous parliamentary convocation. He argues that the fact that elections have been held and that a new Assembly is being constituted does not remove the Constitutional Court’s obligation to respond to the appeal. According to him, the decision that must clarify whether the election of a deputy speaker from the Serbian community was in line with regulations, given that Rasic did not have the support of the majority of Serbian MPs, has been pending for an unreasonably long time. 

Janjic: US will present an official document on Kosovo-Serbia mutual recognition (media)

Several news websites report that Serbian political commentator Dusan Janjic said that the United States is expected to present in March or April an official document that foresees mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia. He argued that the document will not be a non-paper but a formal draft agreement and that the Serbian side is reportedly concerned about this. He said that work on the document is being done at the highest political levels and that mutual recognition is one of the key points.