Local elections for mayors and members of municipal assemblies are taking place in Kosovo today, with a turnout that by 3:00 p.m. had reached 25.38%, according to data from the Central Election Commission (CEC). By noon, turnout had been around 26%, while the process is generally proceeding peacefully in all municipalities of the country. 2 million 69 thousand 98 citizens are eligible to vote, including around 44 thousand voters from the diaspora. 93 political entities are in the race, including 32 parties, 32 civic initiatives, 2 coalitions and 27 independent candidates, with a total of 5,626 candidates, including 206 for mayor.
Isolated incident in Comoros
A shooting incident was reported this morning in Komoran, near a polling station. Pristina Chief Prosecutor Zejnullah Gashi stated that the incident was not related to the election process, but to a previous dispute between three people with criminal records. “The incident is not related to the elections, but to a conflict for ordinary reasons,” Gashi explained, emphasizing that the voting process was not affected.
Calls for participation and accusations against Serbia
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who voted in the early hours of the morning in Pristina, called on citizens to turn out in large numbers, stressing that “the greater the participation, the stronger the democracy.” She also accused Serbia of continued efforts to interfere in Kosovo’s electoral processes.
Along the same lines, Prime Minister Albin Kurti invited citizens to exercise their right to vote, emphasizing that local elections are crucial for the development of municipalities.
The Speaker of the Parliament, Dimal Basha, also called for high participation and a "celebration of democracy."
Statements from Belgrade and reactions in the north
On the other hand, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, declared that “the participation of Serbs in local elections in Kosovo is higher than that of Albanians,” emphasizing that he hopes for the victory of the Serbian List in municipalities with a Serbian majority. In North Mitrovica, citizens of the Serbian community were seen gathering outside polling stations organized by the Serbian List — an action considered illegal by the Kosovo authorities.
Electoral security and integrity measures
The State Prosecution has deployed around 100 prosecutors and prosecutorial officers in the field to ensure the smooth running of the electoral process and to investigate any possible cases of manipulation. The National Election Coordinator, Laura Pula, has called for reporting any irregularities. The voting process is expected to close at 19:00, while the first preliminary results will be published by the CEC after the completion of the ballot counting.
