Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
Russian media outlet, Serbian language service "Sputnik" has published an article with the claim regarding the possibility of "damaging" the Serbian List in the February 9, 2025 elections in Kosovo, emphasizing that there is no adequate control over the electoral process and that "phantom voters" from Pristina may be introduced.
This media outlet claims about the possibility of the inclusion of "phantom voters", linking this to a calculation that compares the list of Kosovo voters and the number of inhabitants. According to this comparison, it is stated that 800 thousand more people will have the right to vote in the elections than the number registered on the voter list.
What does the article say?
In this article, the Russian media outlet warns that the Serbian List could easily be damaged in the parliamentary elections on February 9, 2025, due to the lack of adequate control over the electoral process. It emphasizes that this could create opportunities for the introduction of "phantom voters" from Pristina.
The article also accuses Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of trying to exclude the Serbian List from Kosovo’s political life, allowing other forces to control the vote count. It also says that this action is part of a “plan to marginalize a political force.” In addition, according to the claim, an estimate has shown that the number of voters in the elections could be 800 higher than the number registered in the last census.
Furthermore, according to the report, the Serb List will not have representatives on several election commissions, after its appeal against the decisions of the Election Panel in Pristina was rejected. The content continues with the claim that this will result in a number of polling stations without the possibility of control over the votes and the electoral process.
Does this claim hold true?
The Central Election Commission (CEC) in Kosovo certified the final voter list on January 4, announcing that 2 million 75 thousand 868 individuals will be eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections on February 9. Of these, 1 million 970 thousand 944 voters are registered to vote within Kosovo, while 104 thousand 924 citizens will vote outside Kosovo.here)
According to the network of organizations, Democracy in Action, the final voter list contains 500 more names than the number of residents registered in the last census. This, they say, is due to the failure to clean up the lists, although the Central Election Commission (CEC) has made efforts to address this issue.here)
In addition, on January 22, the Central Election Commission accredited 18,163 observers from political entities, including 290 observers from the Serbian List. (here)
The Serbian List has previously filed a complaint with the Electoral Panel for Complaints and Appeals against the CEC's decision. dated January 14 on the composition of election commissions and the composition of counting teams in municipal voting centers, considering it illegal. While in ECAP decision Regarding this complaint, it was stated that the CEC acted in accordance with the law.
"Finally, the ECAP panel found that the CEC has decided fairly and equally for all political entities, based on the legal provisions in force, both for the entities that have won the largest number of votes in the last elections, as well as for all other participating entities, and that for this reason they have not been subjected to any injustice with decision no. 01/84-2025 of 14.01.2025, on the Composition of Regular and Conditional Polling Station Councils and decision no. 01/85-2025 of 14.01.2025, on the Composition of Counting Teams in the NEC. In this context, the legal provision of article 77, paragraph 4, article 18 of the Electoral Code, which gives the CEC the right to appoint members of the PPC according to its choice, regardless of the number of votes won, should also be taken into account. in the last elections."
Regarding the conduct of the elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) will install cameras at each polling station to ensure surveillance during the elections, as announced by spokesman Valmir Elezi. He explained that the CEC will not have access to the camera footage and that it will not record the moment when citizens are voting, but it can serve as evidence to document any eventual developments at the polling station. (here)
At the invitation of President Vjosa Osmani, around 100 observers will be part of the European Union mission that will monitor the voting process on February 9. The head of this mission, Nathalie Loiseau, announced at the start of her assignment that the team will assess whether the electoral process is in compliance with the Law on Elections and international standards. (here)
Analyze:
The Russian media outlet "Sputnik" in Serbian has published an article claiming that the Serbian List could be "damaged" in the February 9, 2025 elections in Kosovo, arguing for a lack of adequate control over the electoral process and the possible introduction of "phantom voters", basing this on the discrepancy between the voter list and the number of residents in Kosovo.
The facts show that the final voter lists have 500 more names than the number of registered residents, due to lack of cleaning despite the efforts of the CEC. The CEC will also install cameras in every polling station for surveillance, while about 100 observers from the European Union mission will monitor the voting process on February 9.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info evaluates Sputnik's claim as a "conspiracy theory".
Reasoning:
"Conspiracy theories" are considered to be informational content that contains a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event or person, presenting it as part or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). The characteristic of these contents is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any reliable evidence.