The Central Election Commission (CEC) has come out with a clarification regarding the organization of voting outside Kosovo, namely voting by mail, after public concerns. In a communiqué published on Thursday evening, the CEC explained the procedures followed for voter registration, sending and receiving ballots, as well as the security measures implemented throughout the process.

CEC has clarified that, in fulfillment of the obligations arising from the Law on General Elections, it has taken all the necessary actions to enable voting outside Kosovo, both physically in diplomatic missions and also through the mail.

According to the CEC, the process of registering voters abroad is accompanied by special security measures.

“The CEC has ensured that the process of registering voters outside Kosovo fulfills several security aspects, among which is the photographing of the applicant while holding and at the same time presenting his identification document”, the clarification states.

The electoral institution has announced that every voter successfully registered for voting by mail has received at the electronic address a registration certificate with unique data, a document that is necessary for verifying the validity of the ballot package.

CEC has recalled that 30 voting centers have been approved for voting in diplomatic missions, namely 17 embassies and 13 consulates, while for voting by mail mailboxes have been opened in 22 different countries, in addition to the permanent mailbox in Kosovo.

In the clarification it is stated that, starting from the Local Elections 2025, registered voters will be sent a ballot paper printed by the CEC itself, which contains various security elements.

“This practice, despite the short time in organizing early elections, has been followed in the last two election processes for the Assembly of Kosovo, held in December and June”, it is stated in communiqué.

Further, the CEC has explained the procedures for withdrawing ballot packages from mailboxes outside Kosovo, emphasizing that the officials of diplomatic missions have been authorized for this process and accredited observers have been regularly notified. security”, the CEC announced.

The electoral institution clarified that the bags with the withdrawn packages were stored in the security rooms of the diplomatic missions until they were handed over to the operator for transport to Kosovo as a diplomatic consignment.

As for the process of evaluating the packages after arrival in Kosovo, the CEC said that it was carried out in the presence of accredited observers and representatives of the entities political.

“Observers of political subjects were present almost all the time when the bags were opened and the evaluation of the envelopes was done, and they did not submit any remarks during this process”, the clarification states.

The CEC has made it known that the envelopes were opened only for the purpose of verifying the registration certificate and that all the ballots that met the criteria defined by the regulation were processed for counting.

Finally, the Central Election Commission has emphasized that the entire process was developed with full transparency and under the supervision of accredited organizations.

“During the process of voting by mail, withdrawing ballot packages from mailboxes, evaluating the supposed ballot packages and counting them, the CEC did not receive any complaints and no remarks were made by the observers of the organizations of accredited”, concludes the clarification.

Source: prizrenpost