Bugaqku: Vote manipulation seriously undermines the integrity of elections

Senior researcher at the Kosovo Democratic Institute, Vullnet Bugaqku, said that vote manipulation is an unacceptable phenomenon and that it seriously violates the integrity of elections, Kosova Press reported.

Such acts are, he warned, punishable by law.

“This is an absolutely illegal and unacceptable phenomenon because it can cause harm and seriously undermine the integrity of elections, given that Kosovo is considered a country that organizes fairly peaceful and credible electoral processes, where political entities accept the results,” he said.

According to Bugaqku, a full recount of votes was requested because significant discrepancies and irregularities were observed at 40 percent of polling stations, where the recount began on January 13.

The Central Election Commission of Kosovo decided yesterday that all votes for parliamentary candidates from the elections held on December 28 be recounted in 28 municipalities, after a repeated recount at a number of polling stations showed significant changes in the number of votes won by certain candidates.

According to the CEC decision, a full recount of votes from ten municipalities began on January 13: Dragas, Kacanik, Leposavic, Prizren, Srbica, Stimlje, Urosevac, Vucitrn, Mamusa, and Ranilug, while for the remaining 28 municipalities a recount was planned at ten percent of their polling stations.