Kosovo Opposition Party Accuses of Fraud

The opposition New Kosovo Alliance, AKR, is accusing the Alliance for Future of Kosovo, AAK, for manipulation in polling stations in the Gjakova municipality during Kosovo’s local election.

The candidate from the coalition AKR and Democratic League of Dardania, LDD, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, ran for Gjakova president.

“Representatives of AAK in the Gjakova municipality have ensured a victory without the runoff for their candidate. In fact, this would not happen unless the polling centre would be well managed,” said Kusari-Lila in a press conference on Monday.

During the press conference Kusari-Lila played a video that showed officials from AAK and the Reformist Party Time, ORA, filling the ballot boxes in Demjan village, ultimately damaging her party’s outcome.

“This is a polling centre in Demjan, in which in the end the number of voters has increased by 200 and this video shows irregularities,” said Kusari-Lila.

She added that in Novoselo there were damaged ballots in favor of AKR-LDD. “In the Brekoc village, which was a problematic place in the 2007 elections too, the AKR monitors and commissioners were threatened and we have all this reported to ECAC,” Kusari-Lila said.

AKR held a protest in Gjakova today. Kusari-Lila expressed her regrets to her electorate for not being able to protect the votes. No incidents were reported.

The preliminary results from CEC show that AAK has won 52, 8%, while AKR has gained 40, 7% in the Gjakova municipality.