The National Election Coordinator, Laura Pula, stated that the voting process in this second round of elections went smoothly. However, she told KosovaPress that two incidents involving three detained individuals were recorded.
The first case involves the criminal offense of “giving and receiving bribes” in Fushë-Kosovë, where two people were detained and face 1 to 5 years in prison.
The second case occurred in Pejë for the criminal offense of “violating the secrecy of the vote,” which can also be punished with 1 to 5 years in prison.“Fortunately, up to this point, the entire process has proceeded smoothly. Only two incidents involving three individuals have been recorded in different municipalities by different prosecutors, one in Pejë and another in Prishtina. This does not mean that during the day there were no reports, but those reports did not result in criminal elements. The first case is in Fushë-Kosovë, where two individuals were detained for giving and receiving bribes. The other case is in Pejë for violating the secrecy of the vote. The first offense is punishable by 1–5 years, and the second can be punished depending on how it was committed, up to 1 year, or even 5 years,” she declared.
The State Prosecutor, Laura Pula, said that the detained individuals are held in custody for 48 hours. She emphasized that every report posted on social media has been verified by the State Prosecutor. “They are detained for 48 hours, and depending on the investigation… All cases posted on social media have been verified, and after verification, conclusions were drawn regarding whether there is a criminal case or not. In the cases where there is a criminal offense, legal procedures follow; they are not just left as information,” she said.For KosovaPress, Pula also announced that since 07:00 this morning, a total of 80 prosecutors and supporting staff have been engaged to respond in real time.Today, citizens in 18 municipalities of Kosovo went to the polls to choose the mayor who will lead their municipality for the next four years.
