- CEC to decide about candidates for north elections on Tuesday (KTV)
- Mogherini fostered territory exchange plans, German politician says (RTK1)
- Women returnees from Syria investigated for involvement in terrorist groups (Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
- Haxhiu: Lumezi pretends he doesn’t see crime (KTV)
- Gashi criticises Correctional Service management and Ministry (KTV)
News
CEC to decide about candidates for north elections on Tuesday
(KTV)
On Tuesday, the Central Election Commission (CEC) will decide about political entities and candidates for mayors, who have applied for participation in the extraordinary elections in four north municipalities.
At the latest meeting, CEC members asked for a scrutiny check of the whole application of Srpska Lista and its candidates, who, despite resigning their positions as mayors in the municipalities of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north, Zubin Potok, Leposavic/Leposaviq, and Zvecan/Zveçan, the same persons have applied for the extraordinary elections that will take place on 19th May.
Moreover, CEC members addressed their concern about candidacies of the resigned mayors, asking for an analysis of the legal and constitutional requirements regarding this issue.
Initially on Tuesday, recommendations from the Political Party Registration Office will be presented, and then it is up to CEC members to decide about political entities or candidates that can or cannot take part in the election process.
CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi said in an interview with KosovaPress that the Political Party Registration Office is in the process of preparation of the recommendations.
Although certification did not happen on Monday as planned, Elezi is convinced that it will not affect other deadlines approved by the CEC Operational Plan.
Since 9th April, deadline for application for accreditation as election observers has begun, but nobody has applied yet. Elezi stated that the deadline ends on 12th May.
Valmir Elezi encouraged all political entities and other organisations to apply as observers, both in the election and in the ballot count process.
He added that CEC has been making all preparations as planned, and that it is ready for the May 19 election process.
Mogherini fostered territory exchange plans, German politician says
(RTK1)
The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini fostered the dangerous plans for territory exchange between Serbia and Kosovo, vice chairman of the CDU/CSU caucus Johann Wadephul stated to Der Tagesspiegel.
Vucic and Thaçi have openly spoken about the possibility of this scenario, considering it an option for normalisation of relations between the two countries.
Der Tagesspiegel reminds that there have been reports that Mogherini also is open to such an idea, whereas Berlin is strongly reserved about it.
“There is absolutely no guarantee that a border change or territory exchange would be limited only with Serbia and Kosovo,” Wadephul said.
According to him, this movement would bring back instability and ethnic conflicts in the Western Balkans, not excluding the probability of a military conflict, either.
Women returnees from Syria investigated for involvement in terrorist groups
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
On Friday at midnight, 110 kosovars were returned from Syria, including 74 children, some of them have lost both parents in the war.
Four men have already been put in detention for participation in terrorist groups, and in foreign army or police.
The returnees from Syria will not be allowed to leave the Asylum Centre, without a court decision.
Minister of Justice confirmed that they have been returned by a US military aircraft.
KTV got hold of the document which indicates that the US military aircraft US Air Force returned those Kosovars from Ali Al Salem military air base in Kuwait, 30 kilometres far from the Iraq border.
One of 32 women who have been returned from Syria, who is suspected to have been involved in terrorist groups, was interrogated by police investigators on Monday.
Kosovo institutions announced that there are still 30 kosovar fighters in the conflict zone in Syria, 49 women and eight children.
Haxhiu: Lumezi pretends he doesn’t see crime
(KTV)
Vetëvendosje MP Albulena Haxhiu said that the Chief State Prosecutor Aleksandër Lumezi should leave the position, since she believes that he has not proven successful in combating crime and corruption.
Talking to the Public Television broadcaster, she said that the country was full of crime and corruption, whereas no specific actions are taken by the system, particularly by the prosecutorial system.
According to her, the whole crime and corruption is happening before Lumezi’s eyes, whilst he pretends he does not see it.
Haxhiu said that the bar examination affair also has not passed the court; therefore, she believes that there is suspicion there.
Gashi criticises Correctional Service management and Ministry
(KTV)
In an interview with KTV’s Puls show, former candidate for director of prisons in Kosovo Ali Gashi addressed a lot of allegations against management of the Kosovo Correctional Service and Ministry of Justice.
Gashi, who is Head of the Correctional Service Department for Treatment of Prisoners and Juvenile, said that 21 laws and bylaws have been violated in his case, and the correctional service degenerated.
He explained that he was not invited for interview when he applied for the position General Director of Prisons, with the justification that he did not meet the requirements. Afterwards, he complained at The Independent Oversight Board Civil Service, which made the vacancy announcement to be cancelled. Now he is waiting for summon from the Prishtinë/Pristina Basic Court.
“On 10 October 2018, the decision was made that the complaint filed by Ali Gashi was approved as grounded. It said that the decision of the Complaints Panel for Senior Positions is abrogated. Nevertheless, the vacancy was not cancelled, because it seems that the Ministry of Public Administration and Ministry of Justice filed lawsuit at the Basic Court, where the case has been temporarily suspended,” he explained.
Gashi said that throughout the suspension period up to this point, he has been subject to a great deal of pressure by the General Director Nehat Thaçi.
He said that at least in two occasions, he has been asked to give up this competition. He criticised Minister of Justice Abelard Tahiri for neglecting the case.
According to Gashi, his current sector is the most discriminated one. He said he has seen plenty of violations in the Correctional Service, mentioning that 50 senior supervisors have been employed based on an internal vacancy, adding that they have no other qualification beyond secondary education.
He believes that there might have been some political influence, given that he does not belong to the parties in power. He stated that for three mandates, he was a member of the LDK chairmanship.
