At a meeting with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, representatives of main political parties said 22 October is the optimal time for holding local elections.

Head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Valdete Daka, said they are ready to organise elections whenever they are announced but noted it would be better to have them earlier on before the weather conditions worsen.

President Thaci said he would consider all proposals and announce the election date in the coming days.

Kosovo-based Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) called on relevant authorities to open an inquiry into the way the Kosovo Energy Distribution Services (KEDS) has been billing electricity. KEDS is being accused of billing unpaid electricity in the north to the rest of the Kosovo residents and CDHRF in a statement said the damages caused to regular-paying consumers need to be compensated.

Valdete Daka, head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) said in an interview for Radio Free Europe that all election votes have been counted except for conditional ones and those from the Diaspora.

She said the final results would be announced after review and verification of all election material and of complaints filed with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel. This, according to Daka, could take up to three weeks.

Albanian Foreign Ministry hailed Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Kosovo as an “expression of free will in a fair and competitive process”. In a statement, the foreign ministry expressed trust that new Kosovo institutions would be formed soon “in line with the expressed will and the country’s constitution in order to address priorities, needs and challenges of development, including acceleration of the Euro-Atlantic process”.

The New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) during a press conference today announced it has identified several violations during the voting process in several municipalities. AKR’s spokeswoman, Fitore Ajeti, told media that in some villages in Obiliq/Obilic and Lipjan/Lipljan municipalities, AKR observers were not allowed to enter the polling stations.  According to her, also in Pristina there was a case of photographing the vote in Gjergj Fishta polling station. While in Vushtrri/Vucitrn, she said copies of ballot papers were distributed and people were advised to vote for the PDK.

The Union of Kosovo Montenegrins accused the Serbian List of exercising intimidation and even physical violence against members of the Kosovo Serb and Montenegrin communities.  In a statement to the press, the Union of Kosovo Montenegrins condemned recent cases of intimidation ahead of elections saying that “the Serbian List is the biggest enemy of the Orthodox population in Kosovo.” the Union also called on law enforcement authorities to protect the citizens from, as it said, Serbian List “bandits”.

The statement of Prime Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev that his country would opt to remain neutral regarding Kosovo’s bid to join UNESCO, has caused reaction among the Albanian community, reports Koha.

Candidate for prime minister from the coalition between the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), Ramush Haradinaj, reaffirmed his promise that if elected, Kosovo would gain visa liberalisation in 90 days. He said in a Facebook post that he stands by his promise and that “it is time for Kosovo’s European journey”.

Kosovo political parties signed a statement aimed at increasing financial transparency during election campaign, Koha reports.

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Zenun Pajaziti, said today at the Assembly that the party MPs would vote in line with the will of the people regarding the no-confidence motion against the government. Pajaziti said it was evident there is stagnation in Kosovo and that the PDK has made continuous efforts to coordinate with the coalition partner decision-making process. “We are here today but there is no coordination. We are united in our positions and therefore call on MPs to carry this will to term,” Pajaziti said.