The Director of the Secretariat of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Besnik Buzhala, has stated that the verification of candidates for the October 12 local elections will take longer than usual due to the annual leave period at the Kosovo Judicial Council.

He added that after the submission of the final lists of candidates, the Secretariat Office is preparing them for the verification procedures.

When asked by a CEC member how long the process would take, Buzhala responded that there will be delays, KosovaPress reports.

“The Office is preparing the list that will contain all the information. The verification of candidates will take longer than usual. This is because most members of the Kosovo Judicial Council are on leave. A larger number of candidates will be sent for verification. The exact number of candidates is known — a political entity represented in the Assembly of Kosovo can reach around 800–850 candidates that may be sent for verification,” said Buzhala.

It should be noted that today the CEC made specific decisions to certify the second group of 9 political entities, of which 4 are citizens’ initiatives and 5 are independent candidates, for participation in the local elections.

The total number of candidates representing these political entities is 66, of which 4 are candidates for mayor and 62 for members of municipal assemblies.

In the previous meeting on August 12, 2025, the CEC certified the first group of 10 political entities — two citizens’ initiatives and eight independent candidates — with a total of 64 candidates, including 5 candidates for mayor and 59 for municipal assembly members.

The total number of political entities certified by the CEC until August 14, 2025, is 19 political entities, of which 6 are citizens’ initiatives and 13 are independent candidates, with a total of 130 candidates — 9 for mayor and 121 for municipal assembly members.