U.S. Embassy Statement on Municipal Elections

U.S. Embassy Statement on Municipal Elections, 23 October 2017

The United States Embassy congratulates Kosovo on the successful completion of the first round of municipal elections. We commend the Central Election Commission, the Polling Commissioners, the OSCE and all of the monitoring and observation teams for their hard work. While we are concerned by some reports of outdated voter registries, double-voting and other sporadic irregularities, we hope some of these issues can be addressed before the next round of municipal voting in November.

 Increased voter turnout and smooth election procedures in much of the country are positive signs for Kosovo’s democracy. We will continue to support Kosovo institutions as they quickly prepare for another round of voting and follow up on reports of irregularities and violations from this round. We hope that all municipal officials already elected will commit to positive change, on behalf of all of their constituents, which will move Kosovo forward on the path of full Euro-Atlantic integration.