The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
No Decision Yet Over the Election Rerun
Pristina | 22 December 2009 | Petrit Collaku
In the decision, the ECAC advised the CEC to conduct a re-run of the December 13 mayoral runoff election in three municipalities.
On Tuesday, the CEC asked more information from the ECAC, specifically whether the latter has ‘advised or ordered’ a re-run in the municipalities of Prizren, Gjilan and Lipjan.
In its decision, the ECAC ‘advised’ the CEC to conduct a rerun of the polls in these municipalities after investigations revealed serious irregularities and/or intentional election fraud in the majority of the polling centres.
ECAC’s president, Tahir Rrecaj, said that according to election law it is up to the CEC to order the re-run, while ECAC can only advise such a move. “It was very clear in the decision. We have advised them,” Rrecaj told journalists.
“The only order we can give to the CEC is to annul the results based on the investigation of certain ballots,” he said. Rrecaj has sent a two-page document to the CEC explaining the decision taken based on Kosovo’s Election Law.
Nesrin Lushta, president of the CEC, told Balkan Insight “I cannot tell you anything now. I will review the ECAC reply with the members of the Central Election Commission.”
The mayoral election race in Prizren, Gjilan and Lipjan, was between the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). The two parties currently form a fragile government coalition.
“The commissioners of LDK and PDK were involved in vote manipulation. It was from both parties,” Rrecaj said.
He added that CEC should not repeat the mistake from 2007 elections, when evidence of vote manipulation was destroyed after 60 days. He said that without such evidence, the commissioners went unpunished.
“I believe strongly that, for these elections, all violators of the law will be punished equally,” Rrecaj said.
The ECAC’s advice for the rerun was considered to be a ‘political decision’ by the Kosovo’s parliament speaker, Jakup Krasniqi.
“I guarantee that ECAC has not taken any political decisions,” he added.
