Burjani: There are no strong legal grounds for not certifying the Serb List; CEC decision is political

Former member of the Central Election Commission, Blerim Burjani, assessed the non-certification of the Serb List’s candidates for the December 28 elections as a political matter.

Speaking to RTV 21, Burjani said that the CEC must act in accordance with the law and electoral rules and that this issue must not be politicized, because, in his words, there are no sufficiently strong legal reasons that would justify the non-verification of the candidate list of this Serbian political entity.

“This has happened multiple times with the Serb List, and the reasons are more political in nature than technical, considering that the CEC is obliged to apply the law. Naturally, without strong legal or other grounds, it cannot act otherwise. Any other course of action constitutes a violation of the Law on Elections and electoral rules. Therefore, what is happening now is more politically motivated. It is not reasonable, and there should be an approach aligned with the law and CEC rules, and the matter must not be politicized, as there is no strong reason for the candidate list of the Serb List not to be verified,” Burjani said.

He added that this move by the CEC will negatively affect international election observers in Kosovo.

“This step harms Kosovo in terms of international oversight, in situations where international organizations continually monitor the electoral process, and it may leave a negative impression on international observers and organizations, as well as on accredited embassies in Kosovo,” Burjani concluded.