Muhaxhiri: I expect the CEC to complete the recount as soon as possible and the authorities to sanction those responsible

Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri told Kosovo Online that he expects the Central Election Commission to complete the recount of all ballots from the recent elections as soon as possible, and for the competent institutions to punish those responsible for irregularities.

Muhaxhiri noted that an electoral process that had previously functioned well has now been stigmatized.

“The percentage of disputed ballots is very high, and I believe that the CEC and judicial bodies will do their utmost to clean up the process, restore its image, and sanction those responsible. The biggest problem is that, until now, individuals who committed these manipulations were either not punished at all or received only minor penalties. This is because such practices were treated as a normal procedure, albeit on a much smaller scale. Now the scale is far greater and must be addressed swiftly, as it will affect the legitimacy of the entire electoral process,” he said.

Muhaxhiri expects the recount to be completed by 5 March, in time for the presidential elections.

“I think the CEC bears great responsibility, as well as pressure, to complete the recount as soon as possible. They have the staff and the teams to do it. It must be finished before 5 March, because it would be a major political catastrophe if Kosovo were left without a parliament, a president, and a government. The Constitution does not even provide a scenario for such a situation. I believe that would be devastating for Kosovo’s political system. I trust that Kosovo’s politicians have enough decency not to place the country in such a difficult position,” Muhaxhiri concluded.