Head of Central Election Commission Valdete Daka told Radio Free Europe that they cannot begin any procedure without the outgoing government of Kosovo allocating the necessary budget for elections. Daka said the CEC made an official request for allocation of budget a day after election date was announced.
“CEC cannot take responsibility for any delays in organising elections,” Daka said adding that they had made it clear the moment prime minister Ramush Haradinaj resigned that 2019 was not a regular election year and therefore no budget was allocated for the purpose.
Outgoing Minister of Finance Bedri Hamza said the necessary money needed for organising elections exists but that it cannot be transferred without legal justification.
RFE reports that the hesitation on the part of Ministry of Finance to allocate the budget to CEC is linked to the request made by outgoing prime minister Ramush Haradinaj to the Constitutional Court asking it to clarify the competencies of the government following his resignation.
“Without getting into the issues, duties and competencies of the Constitutional Court, we expect this situation to be clarified and once it is, we will undertake necessary actions in accordance to the law,” Hamza said.
RFE says the Constitutional Court of Kosovo has 60 days to reply to the request of resigned prime minister Haradinaj filed on 29 July.
