UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, January 20, 2026

Kosovo orders recount of all votes, delaying election result (Prishtina Insight)
LDK assembly to meet on Jan 31, Abdixhiku to seek a vote of confidence (media)
Belgium reiterates support for Kosovo membership in EU and NATO (Sinjali)
Maqedonci: ‘Normandy Index 2025’ ranks Kosovo first in Western Balkans for strategic security (Kallxo)
Defense Ministry says it has no info about production of “Skifter K1” drone (Koha)
Kosovo activist jailed for subversion refused to be intimidated (BIRN)
KEK files lawsuit against Ymeri over her statements about electricity (media)
Ulutas, Svecla talk further improving KFOR-Kosovo Police cooperation (media)
Instructions on obligations during stay distributed to travelers upon entry to and exit from Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Begaj encourages Moldova to consider recognizing Kosovo (media)

Kosovo orders recount of all votes, delaying election result (Prishtina Insight)

Election Commission orders recount at all polling stations in the country after limited recount in ten municipalities reveals significant manipulation of votes cast.

The Kosovo Central Election Commission, CEC, on Monday decided to recount votes cast at all polling stations in all 28 municipalities, after a recount in ten municipalities, which included 36 per cent of the 2,557 ballot boxes, showed manipulation of the votes cast for MP candidates in the first count.

Kreshnik Radoniqi, head of the CEC, explained that the recount in ten municipalities, decided on January 13, had revealed “possible errors in the registration of candidates’ votes and the addition of votes as a result of the re-evaluation of invalid ballots, and in certain polling stations, larger changes are evident for some candidates”.

He said the change in the number of votes cast for candidates after the recount in ten municipalities showed that the process had been inaccurate. However, little to no change was seen in the overall party results.

One of the more extreme cases, according to Radoniqi, was seen in Prizren. There, as the result of the recount, 29,343 votes were deducted for some candidates and 16,366 votes were added to other candidates. In total, “after the recount, 20,978 votes were added to the candidates, which were not correctly registered”, he said.

The CEC will submit the findings of the recount to the special prosecution for investigation.

Earlier on Monday, Democracy in Action, DiA, a local network of election observers, called for a large-scale investigation to identify individual responsibility and any potentially coordinated action.

“The investigation should extend beyond the technical level of the counting process. The repeated patterns of deviations in favour of certain candidates within and across certain municipalities create reasonable grounds for suspecting that these are not the products of human error or chance, but of deliberate actions by commissioners,” DiA said in a Facebook post. “The candidates who benefit from these discrepancies and manipulations should be part of the investigation, in order to clarify whether there was incitement, coordination or direct or indirect involvement in vote manipulation,” it added.

The vote recount resulted in drastic changes in some candidates’ lists, especially within the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, where certain candidates lost thousands of votes. One MP candidate, Fetah Pacarizi, had 6,022 votes deducted after the recount – the biggest difference so far. Another PDK candidate Uran Ismaili, a former candidate for the mayoralty of the capital, Pristina, gained 763 votes more than in the preliminary results.

In the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, the majority of changes were seen in Prizren, where one of the candidates, Xhavit Uka, had 1,597 votes less votes after the recount, while Paris Guri had 181 more.

Read more at: https://shorturl.fm/EjrfZ

LDK assembly to meet on Jan 31, Abdixhiku to seek a vote of confidence (media)

All news websites reported on Monday evening that the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has called a meeting of its assembly on January 31, where party leader Lumir Abdixhiku will seek a vote of confidence from the delegates. LDK member Besian Mustafa told a press conference that the decision to call the Assembly was made during a meeting of the party’s presidency. He also said that Abdixhiku will seek a vote of confidence at the assembly’s meeting.

Radio Free Europe notes that LDK, the oldest party in Kosovo, is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history, after a bitter defeat in the December 28 parliamentary elections. Some party members, including deputy leader Hykmete Bajrami, have called for Abdixhiku’s resignation, after the LDK won only 13 percent of the votes.

Abdixhiku said in a Facebook post on Monday night that “after an open and responsible discussion, we decided to convene the LDK Assembly on January 31, where according to our statute and democratic tradition, decisions will be made on the most important issues of the party”.

Belgium reiterates support for Kosovo membership in EU and NATO (Sinjali)

Most news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, hosted on Monday in Pristina his counterpart from Belgium, Theo Francken, and discussed advancing military cooperation and concrete opportunities for cooperation in the defense industry. “Minister Francken reaffirmed Belgium’s support for Kosovo’s membership in NATO and the European Union, reiterating the commitment of this allied country for the Euro-Atlantic future of the Republic of Kosovo,” the Ministry of Defense said in a Facebook post.

Maqedonci: ‘Normandy Index 2025’ ranks Kosovo first in Western Balkans for strategic security (Kallxo)

Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, said on Monday that according to the “Normandy Index 2025,” prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Kosovo is ranked first in the Western Balkans for strategic security. It is also ranked 13th globally for having the lowest level of strategic threats to peace and democracy.

Maqedonci also said that “the index measures key areas such as political and institutional stability, the rule of law and democratic functioning, resilience to disinformation and foreign influence, the risk of conflict and national security, hybrid threats, and geopolitical pressures”.

Defense Ministry says it has no info about production of “Skifter K1” drone (Koha)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defense has not confirmed claims by owners of the “Future Minds Academy” and “Miga Skyshield” about testing the “Skifter K1” drone, namely its ability to hit targets up to 1,000 kilometers. The ministry said in a statement on Monday that they don’t have information about the testing of the drone. “About the drone called ‘Skifter K1’, we had no discussions and we don’t have sufficient information about the production, testing permits, the testing process or other related issues. Currently, we cannot confirm any details on the matter. The respective institutions are however following the situation in all necessary aspects and in line with legal competencies. At the same time, we encourage and welcome any technological innovation in the area of drones that aims to develop local production in Kosovo, in line with the applicable legislation and respective standards,” the ministry told the news website.

Kosovo activist jailed for subversion refused to be intimidated (BIRN)

Shukrije Gashi was jailed and tortured for organising protests demanding equal rights for Kosovo Albanians in the 1980s. She was not broken – and continues to campaign to this day.

“I have always been an activist,” Shukrija Gashi says.

Her activism started in the early-1980s, when Gashi was a student at the Faculty of Law at the University of Pristina – a time when Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority was being subjugated by the Serbian authorities in what was then Yugoslavia.

In April 1983, aged 22, Gashi was jailed for two years for demanding equal rights for ethnic Albanians. She was sentenced for subversion.

Four years earlier, in 1979, Gashi had become involved with the underground National Movement for the Republic of Kosovo within Yugoslavia. This called for Kosovo to be made equal to the six Yugoslav republics and not remain an ‘autonomous province’ of Serbia.

Gashi helped to organise of protests in the early-1980s, demanding the establishment of a Republic of Kosovo within the Yugoslav federation. She took part in clandestine direct actions, using the pseudonym Fitorja (Victory) and writing slogans on walls, including the rallying cry – “Kosovo Republic”.

In 1981, in reaction to the growing protests calling for a Kosovo republic, the Yugoslav authorities declared a state of emergency and sent in the security forces to break up the demonstrations.

It was “a fascist regime [acting] against the Albanian population”, Gashi recalls. “But it was important [for me] through the framework of the national movement [for an independent Kosovo] to create a space for women to participate,” she adds, noting that, “in general, I have always been focused on women [rights].”

At that time, she recalls, it was thought “‘unnatural’ for women to participate in activities that men considered to be reserved for them”. But Gashi was fortunate; her family supported her in getting involved.

Read more at: https://shorturl.fm/fAI0o

KEK files lawsuit against Ymeri over her statements about electricity (media)

Most news websites report that the Kosovo Power Corporation (KEK) said in a statement on Monday that it had filed a lawsuit against elected LDK MP Janina Ymeri “for continuously spreading inaccurate, propaganda and unconfirmed information about the production of electricity, for creating confusion in the public and for trying to attribute to KEK responsibilities that it doesn’t have”. The corporation said that in her latest appearances, Ymeri also denigrated the workers and representatives of the corporation, by violating the professional and ethical standards of public communication. “This behavior is detrimental to the institutional image of the corporation and cannot be tolerated,” KEK said in a press release.

Ymeri on the other hand said in a reaction that the lawsuit is aimed at intimidating her and according to her caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti was trying to “persecute” her through his “political appointees in KEK”.

Ulutas, Svecla talk further improving KFOR-Kosovo Police cooperation (media)

Commander of the NATO-led KFOR mission, Major General Ozkan Ulutas, met on Monday with Kosovo’s caretaker Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla. “They exchanged views on the security situation in Kosovo, and on further improving communication and cooperation between KFOR and the Kosovo Police. General Ulutas highlighted KFOR’s steadfast commitment to continue contributing to security across Kosovo and the wider region,” KFOR said in a Facebook post after the meeting.

Instructions on obligations during stay distributed to travelers upon entry to and exit from Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

At administrative crossings, as part of an information campaign conducted by Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and in connection with the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles, travelers are being handed an instruction informing them of their obligations when entering, staying in, and working in Kosovo.

The instruction states that, upon entry into the territory of Kosovo, a foreign national is required to possess and present a valid travel document, hold a visa or residence permit where required, comply with the purpose and duration of stay, and register the address of residence within three days of entry “at the border or at a police station.”

In addition, as noted, a foreign national must have sufficient means of subsistence, comply with Kosovo laws, not be subject to an entry or stay ban in Kosovo, and must not pose a threat to security, public order, or public health.

As further stated in the instruction—which is distributed both upon entry to and exit from Kosovo—during a short-term stay, a foreign national may remain for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, with or without a visa depending on whether one is required, and employment during that period is not permitted without a work permit.

“Any stay longer than 90 days requires the submission of an application for a residence permit,” the instruction of Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs states.

For stays in Kosovo for the purpose of employment, as indicated, a temporary residence permit for work purposes is required, and a work permit is necessary for professions for which it is prescribed.

“It is also necessary to submit a license to work on the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. Work without a permit is prohibited. An application for a work permit is submitted to the Employment Agency,” the instruction specifies.