Cakolli: Abuses confirmed, a full recount of votes for MPs would be appropriate

Eugen Cakolli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute stated that the partial recount of votes for parliamentary candidates has confirmed serious abuses in municipal counting centers.

“According to data so far from the recount, at the cumulative level, differences in candidates’ votes reach nearly 15,000. The largest discrepancies were recorded on the PDK list with about 7,719 votes difference, followed by Self-Determination with about 2,947 votes difference, the LDK with about 1,676 votes difference, and the AAK with about 639 votes difference,” Cakolli wrote on Facebook.

He added that overall, after the recount and corrections at the Counting and Results Center, about 9,500 votes were deducted, while around 3,500 votes were added to candidates.

“Among the four main parties alone, more than 200 candidates recorded an increase in the number of votes, while about 200 others saw a decrease. Self-Determination has 61 candidates with a decrease and 46 with an increase in votes. The PDK has 79 candidates with an increase and 27 with a decrease. The LDK has 59 candidates with an increase and 46 with a decrease. The AAK has 60 candidates with a decrease and 37 with an increase,” Cakolli emphasized.

As he notes, the ten candidates who, after the recount, recorded the largest drop in the number of votes are:

Fetah Pacarizi (PDK) − 1,336 votes

Nait Hasani (PDK) − 669 votes

Arianit Colaku (PDK) − 506 votes

Xhavit Haliti (PDK) − 477 votes

Luljeta Veselaj Gutaj (PDK) − 451 votes

Kujtim Gashi (PDK) − 440 votes

Enver Hoxhaj (PDK) − 430 votes

Fadil Demaku (PDK) − 306 votes

Ejup Maqedonci (Self-Determination) − 250 votes

Vendenis Lahu (Self-Determination) − 238 votes.

Cakolli concludes that these are significant differences, especially considering that the recount is currently being conducted at only about one-third of polling stations across Kosovo.

“Of additional concern is the fact that the votes of these candidates were mostly altered in the municipal centers from which those candidates originate. If this trend continues proportionally, the scale of discrepancies nationwide becomes even more significant and could potentially affect the ranking of a large number of candidates. Therefore, a full recount is the correct solution and should be carried out as soon as possible, before other constitutional deadlines are affected,” Cakolli concluded.