Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti has called on investigative authorities to look into the Exit Polls published for the mayoral race in South Mitrovica. Commenting on the preliminary results of the October 12 local elections, he said they show Vetëvendosje remains the main political force even at the local level.
At a press conference today, Kurti said LVV won three municipalities without a runoff, and with diaspora votes, it is likely to also win Gjilan without a runoff.
He described last night’s election results as a gift from the people of Kosovo for the 20th anniversary of Vetëvendosje.
“In yesterday’s elections, according to preliminary results, Vetëvendosje won without a runoff in Podujevë, Kamenicë, and Shtime. With diaspora votes, it appears we have also won Gjilan without a runoff, meaning in the four municipalities we governed over the past four years, we won without a runoff. Overall, we are in 12 out of 17 municipalities that go to the second round if we include Gjilan… These results clearly show that our movement has not only maintained growth from one election cycle to the next but has risen as the main political force in Kosovo even at the local level. This is the most precious gift and the best wish we have received from the people of Kosovo on this 20th anniversary of LVV,” said the LVV leader.
The acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, urged justice authorities to investigate last night’s Exit Polls for the mayoral race in South Mitrovica, saying this was not just a mistake but a blatant interference.
“What happened on October 12 regarding the reports for Mitrovica must be investigated. This is not just a mistake but a premeditated engineering for blatant interference in the electoral process. Exit Polls presented incorrectly, with a 16-point percentage error or more by more than one organization for the same municipality, and the posting of false news about who had won before the polls closed, are not simply mistakes. This is an infringement on democracy, free elections, and the integrity and security of our state. I call on security and justice authorities to address this issue,” Kurti said.
Although he considers last night’s result satisfactory, Kurti expressed confidence that his party will win in all municipalities where Vetëvendosje candidates are in the runoff.
According to the LVV leader, before the runoff there will need to be an analysis of the election results to consider possible cooperation or coalition with PDK or other parties in Prishtina.
“The first part of the race ended last night. From today we start preparing for the runoff. Our goal is clear: that our candidates win in these municipalities as well, and that good governance continues, ensuring development, welfare, justice, and equality in our municipalities… We need to conduct a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the election results and the correlation with the campaign we ran. Only after this analysis will we make plans and preparations for the path forward, always in close cooperation with the candidates we have in the runoff,” Kurti declared.
Kosovo concluded the local election process yesterday. Out of 2,025,105 eligible voters, 811,984 cast their ballots, representing a 40.10% turnout nationwide.
In the October 12 local elections, Vetëvendosje will compete in the runoff in 12 out of 20 municipalities, based on results from counting more than 90% of votes. The party won without a runoff in Kamenicë, Podujevë, and Shtime, according to current results.
