Ahmeti confirmed as Prishtinë/Pristina mayor
(KTV)
Shpend Ahmeti has been confirmed as mayor of Prishtinë/Pristina in his second mandate. With only a 365 vote difference, Ahmeti won versus the LDK candidate Arban Abrashi. Following the count of conditional, by-mail, and special needs person’s ballots, Ahmeti got 42,262 votes, whereas Abrashi got 41,897.
After announcement of the result, the current mayor said he would continue with the reform that started in Prishtinë/Pristina in 2013.
Conditional ballot count followed the Supreme Court decision issued on Saturday, which turned down the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) to recount all ballots.
Central Election Commission (CEC) announced that it would announce final results on Monday, while there is a 24-hour deadline for political parties to file their possible complaints to ECAP, before the results are certified.
According to final results, AAK won eight municipalities, LDK seven, PDK five, VV three, while Nisma and AKR one municipality respectively.
In the meantime, despite the house arrest, VV MPs Albin Kurti and Donika Kadaj-Bujupi joined the VV celebration of its victory in Prishtinë/Pristina.
Kurti said to VV supporters that he went out to the boulevard to congratulate the new mayor Shpend Ahmeti and Prishtinë/Pristina citizens.
“It was written ‘house arrest’, but I don’t own a house, so I live in a rented flat. Since the flat is so near here, had it been a house, the boulevard would be my yard. Therefore, today I went out to the yard to congratulate citizens and Shpend Ahmeti on the victory in Prishtinë/Pristina,” Kurti said.
Conditional ballots don’t overturn preliminary result in Prizren
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
After counting of conditional ballots, by-mail ballots, and ballots of persons with special needs in Prizren municipality, Mytaher Haskuka of VV got 385 votes, and Shaqir Totaj of PDK got 452. However, this difference was not sufficient to overturn the preliminary runoff result, because Haskuka had 329 votes more than Totaj.
Since the VV candidate for mayor of Prizren is currently abroad, citizens extended their congratulations to the VV Prizren Branch chairman, Artan Abrashi instead.
On the other hand, the PDK Branch insists for a recount of all ballots in Prizren, saying that after the conditional ballot count, Shaqir Totaj is the winner.
Shabani of PDK wins in Dragash/Dragas
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
The PDK candidate for Dragash/Dragas municipality Shaban Shabani is the winner, following recount of 35 polling stations, conditional, by-mail and special needs persons’ ballots.
After the recount, PDK got 4,117 votes, whereas the LDK candidate Selim Kryeziu got 287 votes. In conditional, by-mail, and special needs persons’ votes, PDK got 302 votes, and LDK 67.
In both processes, there were 66 invalid, and one empty ballot.
Ballot count in Rahovec/Orahovac did not bring any change, either. Smajl Latifi of AAK will be the mayor.
Spasic accuses Srpska List of betraying its own candidate
(Klan Kosova)
Strahinja Spasic ran for runoffs, being convinced that he would win to become mayor of Klokot/Kllokot. His aim was to succeed his father Srecko, who has been mayor since 2013. Strahinja won on 19th November, in the preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC), but only with 10 votes difference from his opponent from Civic Initiative, Bozidar Dejanovic.
However, Spasic’s joy vanished when conditional ballots were counted: the result overturned, and his opponent won.
Now, his father finds it hard to hand over the post to his son’s opponent. He believes that conditional and by-mail ballots were manipulated. Moreover, according to Spasic, although his son was a Srpska List candidate, he lost support, and finally he was betrayed.
“In the first round they supported us, and in the second round they supported the opponent. That happened because Srpska List leaders asked us to join together against Albanians, but I opposed it, and then Dalibor Jevtic supported him the opponent,” Srecko Spasic said.
The Spasics filed a complained to the Election Complaint and Appeals Panel (ECAP). Mul Desku said that ECAP investigated all the evidence on Sunday and it will come up with a decision by Monday at 14:00, pursuant to the legal timeline.
Desku also explained that ECAP has investigated one ballot box from Klokot/Kllokot, and six from Istog/Istok, following LDK complaints concerning the latter municipality.
LDK considering opposing results in Prishtinë/Pristina and Dragash/Dragas
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
LDK is considering legal ways to oppose the election results in Prishtinë/Pristina and Dragash/Dragas. LDK believes that the Supreme Court’s decision violates the constitutional right of the LDK candidate, by not providing the opportunity for transparently verifying results through a recount process.
In addition, LDK believes that the Supreme Court’s decision is groundless, meaningless, and unjustified.
“Although the decision, in its justification, recognises the irregularities identified during the election process in Prishtinë/Pristina municipality, it does not allow ballot box recount, as the only mechanism for correction of mistakes and violations identified by our officials on the Election Day,” the LDK reaction says.
PDK: VV – party of terrorist clans
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
PDK commented on the Supreme Court’s decision, which found the VV appeal against ballot recount as grounded. PDK addressed serious allegations against VV, calling it even a party of terrorist clans.
Blerand Stavileci said that the Supreme Court found the requests for recount as groundless, although, according to him, PDK provided proofs that clearly show vote manipulation which was done by VV.
“Supreme Court, perhaps also influenced by the public pressure that this party of terrorist clans put on its members, cancelled ballot recount. This has refuted the claims for tendencies of election manipulation and of captured justice,” Stavileci said at a press conference.
Political parties fined 38,000 euro for breaking election silence
(KTV)
Political parties that competed in 19 municipalities in October 22 runoffs broke election silence. The Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) announced that the amount of the fines imposed is 37,900 euro.
AAK has been fined 2,500 euro, Alternativa 2,500 euro, LDK 7,800 euro, VV 16,300 euro, and PDK 8,800 euro.
So far, none of the political entities has paid the fines imposed on them.
As far as the first election round is concerned, LDK and Alternativa have not paid the fines, PDK has paid them partially, while other political entities have clear their debts.
Houses of two KSF members attacked in Zubin Potok
(Most monitored broadcasters, Klan Kosova)
Houses of two Kosovo Security Force (KSF) members in Zubin Potok/Zubinpotok were attacked by bomb on Sunday morning. According to Police, it happened around 02:00 in two separate locations. Fortunately, no one was injured, while material damage was caused.
The Police press release reads that three private vehicles and two houses of the victims have been damaged. Immediately after the incident, Police units took all the actions for a detailed examination of the scene and the surrounding locations, in order to identify perpetrators.
Kosovo institution leaders reacted to the incident. President Thaçi said that the attack on the houses of two KSF members in Zubin Potok/Zubinpotok is intolerable. He called on Kosovo Police to shed light on the incident and to as soon as possible bring perpetrators before justice.
Condemning the incident, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said that the attack with explosives is an intolerable act, which undermines human lives, and intends to obstruct the efforts for building a democratic, inclusive society, and to keep citizens under tension.
