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Life in Kosovo debates preparations for 2009 elections

27 08 2009  

On August 27, the Life in Kosovo show debated local elections scheduled for November 15, 2009.

How are the preparations for the 2009 elections progressing? What have we learnt from elections in 2007? Who will count votes this time? What is happening with the possibility of camera surveillance?

To discuss these topics and issues regarding the management and organising of this year’s local elections, Muhamet Hajrullahu was joined by the following guests in the studio:

Nesrin Lushta, head of the Central Elections Commission, CEC ;
Mazllum Baraliu, legal expert and the former head of the CEC Secretariat ;
Ibrahim Makolli, vice head of the New Kosovo Alliance, AKR ;
Leon Malazogu, analyst and the former leader of the Democracy in Action coalition which monitored the 2007 elections ;
Burim Ramadani, secretary of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK ;

Before the discussion, the show broadcast an exclusive interview with the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu. Sejdiu urged the citizens of Kosovo to spare a few minutes and vote for their city leaders in the elections.

Nesrin Lushta, head of the Central Elections Commission, stressed that many lessons should be learned from the 2007 elections, and many improvements should be made. Since this year’s elections will be held without the surveillance of western countries, Lushta was of the opinion that this presented a very important test for the CEC. In order for this test to be successful, she asked for the support of political structures; be it the president, or the prime minister. 

When asked about the issue of vote manipulation during 2007’s elections, Mazllum Baraliu, legal expert and the former head of the CEC Secretariat, said that there is no such thing as 100 per cent success in preventing fraud in elections. He added that when they had received reports of manipulation, they had acted accordingly. He also stressed that these “tentative manipulations”, as he labeled them, made up only 1 per cent of the entire vote. Therefore, according to him, one cannot say that the elections failed. However, he pointed out that there is still room for improvement for the upcoming local elections.

According to Ibrahim Makolli, vice head of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), the number of votes that were canceled in the last election due to fraud was huge. That number was around 30,000 and if one takes into consideration that only a total of 600,000 citizens voted, the number of canceled votes could have in fact made a difference. Makolli said: “Why didn’t the CEC have the courage to publish the results for every voting centre?” According to him, the cancelling of votes and failure to publish the results for all polling stations disregarded basic human rights.

Leon Malazogu, analyst and the former leader of the Democracy in Action coalition who monitored the 2007 elections, emphasised that everybody involved in the election should stop shunning their responsibility. He added that the distribution of responsibilities should be clearer.

Burim Ramadani, secretary of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, highlighted some issues that he thought a Kosovo citizen should know. Most importantly he said that there is a lack of transparency in the CEC’s work, which was evident when they refused to allow journalists into meetings while discussing the possibility of installing cameras in voting centers. According to Ramadani, a way to avoid that is by transmitting CEC meetings on television. However, Lushta did not agree with Ramadani’s claim about a lack of transparency, because, according to her, CEC meetings are open to the public. Lushta said that the reason why journalists were left out of the meeting is that it was a very delicate issue.

Regarding the issue of installing cameras in voting centers, Lushta said that while some members were for the decision because it adds transparency, the decision not to install cameras was based on many reasons. According to her, even if the CEC manages to find a financer, it would demand absolute autonomy over using those cameras without letting the financer be a part of this surveillance. Lushta said that it would be difficult to find such a backer.

Malazogu pointed out that cameras are not the only way to ensure transparency. He stressed that cameras can help in a few situations, however transparency is achieved through a combination of different measures. Malazogu said that the most important thing is for the observers to be fair and vigilant.

Ramadani, on the other hand, said that installing cameras wouldn’t be that costly as the equipment could be used for future elections. He also pointed out that it was not necessary to review all the footage if there was suspicion of fraud.

The next issue to be discussed in the debate was about vote counting and the electoral roll. Malazogu said this was a major problem in the 2007 elections. Due to the outdated lists, there were numerous votes on behalf of deceased people. When asked about this issue, Lushta indicated that the CEC was working hard in order to update the voting lists. According to her, voters can play their part by providing information when the list is published. They can do this by making complaints about missing names and about deceased people on the electoral roll.

According to Makolli, the problem of updating these lists would be diminished if there was a functioning database. This way, he said, people would automatically be added to the list when they reached 18, and be automatically removed when they die.

Responding to a question on security at voting centers and of votes, Lushta said a security plan had been approved at the CEC’s last meeting. She said they were working hard in order to make sure that every vote is counted in the right way.

Regarding the issue of receiving help from the OSCE, Makolli said that it shouldn’t be considered, because Kosovo is now a state that is supposed to stand on its own feet. “As of February 17, 2008, they have finished their job here,” he said.

Malazogu named the outdated lists as the biggest problem which should be dealt with before the elections.

The debate ended with Lushta’s final remarks. She emphasised that the CEC was aware of its responsibilities, and she hoped that the entire team would continue working professionally and enthusiastically. She appealed for everyone’s support; from politicians to voters.

BIRN ended the show with the satirical Kosovo’s son-in-law sketch.