The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has welcomed the holding of pluralistic, inclusive and competitive local elections, despite the politicization of institutions.

According to a press release, following the invitation of the Central Election Commission, a nine-member delegation of the Congress for Election Observation, led by Dominique Lévêque (France, SOC/G/PD), concluded yesterday its mission to observe the first round of local elections in Kosovo 1 , held on Sunday, 12 October 2025. This was the first time that the Congress has observed elections in Kosovo.

"On election day, four Congress teams were present at 55 randomly selected polling stations, from the opening of the centers to their closing and the counting of votes in various municipalities. Prior to the field mission, on October 10-11, meetings were held with the institutions responsible for election administration, the bodies for reviewing complaints and petitions, as well as with representatives of the diplomatic corps, the media and NGOs. The delegation also held discussions with political parties and candidates participating in the 2025 elections," the announcement states.

It is further reported that in general, Congressional observers found that election day was characterized by calm and good management of the process, with only a few minor irregularities.

"Including the fact that there were voters who were not aware of the recent changes to their polling stations, the uneven closing of ballot boxes, especially in rural areas, as well as the insufficient representation of non-majority communities in the composition of the polling station commissions. Furthermore, observers noted the lack of accessibility in most polling stations for voters with mobility disabilities. However, the delegation highly appreciated the professional and cooperative approach of the polling station commissioners, who acted in accordance with the legal provisions. The members of the polling station commissions demonstrated adequate training, while information materials were available in several languages.

Commenting on the overall observation mission, the head of the delegation, Dominique Lévêque, stated: “The revised electoral legal framework, applied for the first time in local elections, has enabled the development of an electoral process with democratic standards. The electoral campaign was characterized by a largely measured and respectful tone, with a lower number of cases of hate speech and denigrating speeches between candidates, both in online and offline spaces. 1 In this document, any reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, should be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.”

The statement also states that the overall campaign environment was free and fair, although there were cases of the use of administrative resources and official positions for political purposes. Voters, including those from non-majority communities, had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of candidates, with 93 political entities certified to participate in the elections, and the delegation particularly commended the participation of the Kosovo Serb community in yesterday's electoral process.

On the other hand, as stated in the announcement, they express regret for the initial decisions of the Central Election Commission to refuse certification of the Srpska List and for the initial denial of accreditation of Serbian-language media.

"These decisions, however, were subsequently reviewed and corrected. However, we have observed an increasing politicization of the CEC, an institution known for its technical competence. This trend is of particular concern. At the same time, we have emphasized the effectiveness and key role of independent mechanisms for electoral complaints and appeals, such as the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel and the Supreme Court."

As for the institutional deadlock in the Kosovo Assembly, the announcement states that it negatively affected the campaign, somewhat obscuring issues of local importance.

"However, local issues were widely covered in the numerous debates broadcast in the weeks leading up to the elections and turnout was comparable to past local elections. At the same time, the delegation regretted the low number of female mayoral candidates, their absence in media coverage and their insufficient representation in the election administration. More needs to be done to promote women's participation in local democracy, including through better voter education to reduce the high number of assisted voting, observed especially in rural areas."

The participation of out-of-country voters in local elections, according to the announcement, should be reviewed, in accordance with Congress Recommendation 369(2015).

"Finally, we appreciate and welcome Kosovo's commitment to local democracy, including the clear reference to the European Charter of Local Self-Government in the Constitution of Kosovo. We emphasize that local democracy in Kosovo, although dynamic and pluralistic, can be further strengthened through increased local autonomy in a system that still remains highly centralized. Yesterday's elections could represent a significant step in this direction. The information report on the 2025 local elections in Kosovo will be discussed at the Congress Session in March 2026." /Telegrafi/

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