On 18 September, the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), following official accreditation by the Central Election Commission of Kosovo, deployed an International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to Kosovo to observe the 17 October 2021 Local Elections.

ENEMO deployed six Core Team experts, of whom five experts were based in Pristina. The Mission was headed by Mr. Pierre Peytier. The IEOM observed both rounds of elections, though its scope was limited in scale, and did not engage additional long-term or short-term observers and, as a result, did not conduct a comprehensive observation of the voting and counting processes on any of the Election Days. However, the mission provided information on the preparation and conduct of the elections, and observed a number of selected polling stations on the day of voting for both rounds.

The mission monitored and assessed the overall political and electoral environment, conduct of election management bodies, candidate registration, voter registration, campaigning, electoral dispute resolution and other crucial aspects of the process, based on international standards for democratic elections and the legal framework of Kosovo. 

This Final Report is based on ENEMO’s findings from the pre-election period, to a limited extent the Election Day and post-election developments for both rounds of elections. It also contains 40 recommendations addressed to various stakeholders for improving the legislative framework and identified shortcomings in the electoral process. ENEMO would like to express its gratitude to all state authorities, especially the Central Election Commission and Complaints and Appeals Panel, as well as other interlocutors, including civil society, international community, media and political entities for their cooperation during the monitoring mission. 

Disclaimer: ENEMO’s international observation mission for the 2021 Local Elections in Kosovo is financially supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The content of the document is the sole responsibility of ENEMO and does not necessarily represent the position of the donor.