Final preparations for the December 28 elections in Kosovo

2025-12-24 18:12:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The election campaign in Kosovo for the December 28 snap elections is in its final phase, while the Central Election Commission, CEC, is already making final preparations for Sunday when the voting process will take place. The CEC has already certified the voter lists and political parties, and has also designated the polling centers in Kosovo and abroad.

22 political entities are competing for the December 28 elections, including 18 political parties, 3 pre-election coalitions, as well as 2 civic initiatives and one independent candidate. According to the CEC, 2 million 76 thousand 290 voters are eligible to vote. The electoral process within the country will take place in 948 voting centers, with a total of 2,614 polling stations.

Voting centers will also be located outside Kosovo, where physical voting is organized in 16 embassies and 13 consulates in several countries around the world. Over 84 thousand citizens outside Kosovo have applied to vote, and of those, 76 thousand applications have been approved, which include voting by mail and physical voting in Kosovo embassies and consulates.

33% of candidates in Kosovo are women

In the extraordinary elections of December 28 in Kosovo, according to data from the Central Election Commission, around 860 local and international observers were accredited to closely monitor the electoral process. A total of 1,180 candidates for deputies are running in these elections, certified by the Central Election Commission. Around 67 percent are men, while around 33 percent are women.

"Unlike the lists of political entities, the CEC has no direct legal obligation to guarantee the minimum gender quota of 30 percent in the composition of the Polling Station Councils. However, in the sub-legal act on the establishment and composition of the Polling Station Councils, the CEC has defined this standard as part of positive policies and affirmative measures, with the aim of advancing gender representation and strengthening equality in electoral administration," states the Chairman of the CEC, Kreshnik Radoniqi.

The debate on the Srpska List

The Srpska List, which has the support of official Belgrade, is also competing in the general elections on December 28. The Central Election Commission, at the insistence of Vetevendosje representatives in this body, once again tried not to certify the Srpska List, but it was the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel, ECAP, that ordered the CEC to certify the Srpska List, and this party is now officially participating in the elections.

The attempt to not certify the Srpska Lista prompted strong international reactions. The US Embassy in Kosovo said that "the exclusion of a party representing the Serb community would undermine democratic standards, community inclusion, and regional stability," underlining that a credible electoral process must be inclusive.

The European Union also expressed serious concern, assessing that the politicization of the certification process at the CEC is detrimental to the integrity of the elections. The EU stressed that "the participation of parties from non-majority communities is essential for free and fair elections, as well as for Kosovo's compliance with European standards."

For the OSCE, the attempt to prevent the Srpska List from participating in the elections in Kosovo "could be perceived as a violation of the principles of inclusive elections, jeopardizing the international credibility of the electoral process in Kosovo."

A solution to the political impasse after the elections?

Political analysts, for their part, say that the December 28 elections in Kosovo are characterized by the fact that they are extraordinary elections, called to resolve the institutional deadlock created for more than nine months after the regular elections of February 9, when no party managed to form a government.

Analyst Blerim Burjani told DW that he "does not believe and is not optimistic that there is a revival of political parties in forming coalitions and forming institutions after the elections."

"The positions and stances of political entities have not changed. They are currently engaged in campaigns and there are no declarations or commitments that they will establish institutions after the elections without wasting time. Some opposition leaders are saying that the opposition will form the government this time, this remains to be seen, while Vetëvendosje is not giving hopeful statements that it will abandon its previous stances and the chances of another blockade are high," says Burjani, adding that the election results must nevertheless be awaited.

"Nothing is guaranteed or negotiated between political entities. The eventual non-election of the president at the end of March means elections again ," says Burjani.

Shortly before the elections, ambassadors of QUINT countries repeatedly called for the December 28 parliamentary elections to be held in an orderly, free and democratic manner, emphasizing the importance of political stability for the country's European future.

The European Union, in an earlier statement, said that a credible electoral process is an essential condition for the full restoration of cooperation with European institutions, the unblocking of financial assistance, and the advancement of dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia. /DW