07/04/2025 Session
Despite some shortcomings and a polarised environment marked by increasingly harsh rhetoric, the calm and inclusive conduct of the elections to the Assembly of Kosovo on 9 February 2025 and the commitment of voters to democracy “represent a positive step towards bringing the country into line with Council of Europe standards”, according to the report presented today at the plenary session by Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC).
The PACE delegation, which observed the vote, believes that voters cast their ballots “peacefully and without tension” in these elections, which presented a pluralist and dynamic political landscape. It also underlined that Kosovo had consolidated its electoral framework by adopting a Law on General Election in 2023, which introduced technical improvements.
However, the report indicates that a number of issues remain regarding electoral practice and the implementation of the new electoral system. In this regard, the delegation called on the Central Election Commission (CEC) to address the use of electronic means during the electoral process and to review ethnic representation on local election commissions in municipalities with non-majority communities.
The delegation further noted that hate speech and harsh rhetoric, as well as the lack of political debate, could deepen ethnic tensions, and called on political parties to take firm action against hate speech in election campaigns.
Noting “undue interference aimed at capturing the votes of non-majority communities, in particular the votes of the Kosovo Serbs”, the delegation called on the authorities to strengthen the independence of institutions and oversight bodies at the service of all communities, such as the Independent Media Commission and the CEC.
PACE and the Venice Commission stand ready to co-operate with all stakeholders to further improve the electoral framework, administration and practices.
*All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.