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In advance of Nov. 15 municipal elections in Kosovo, an NDI pre-election assessment stressed the importance of the existing legal system and Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates. The upcoming elections are Kosovo's first since declaring its independence in February 2008.

Building on the Institute's 10 years of work in the region, an NDI delegation conducted a series of meetings with Kosovar political party leaders, government officials, civic activists and electoral authorities, as well as with representatives of the international community. The delegation consisted of former U.S. Rep. Karan English, D-AZ; Matthew Frumin, an NDI elections expert; and Carlo Binda, NDI's senior resident director in Kosovo.

The delegation said that preparations for the election, the laws in place governing the election and the general Kosovar political environment were all basically sound, but it identified legal and technical improvements that it said should be made before the next election. The success of the Nov. 15 vote, the group said, will depend largely on candidates and political parties following the law and adhering to the Code of Conduct.

While Kosovo law requires political parties to adhere to the Code in order to field candidates for election, there is no enforcement mechanism in place. To encourage parties to follow the Code, NDI worked with each of the major political parties to organize a joint press conference where each publicly signed the Code of Conduct, declaring their intention to campaign in a fair manner and not obstruct the electoral process. The press conference and signing ceremony were held Oct. 14, the same week that NDI's delegation released its pre-election statement.

The statement also put forward five recommendations of improvements to encourage free and fair elections this month and in future election cycles. They are:

• The Central Election Commission (CEC) should exert greater control over the election process with ongoing support from the international community. It should show scrupulous impartiality, provide extensive training to election officials, and increase voter education.
• The Electoral Complaints and Appeals Commission (ECAC) should review complaints in a timely and transparent manner.
• Political parties should follow through on pledges to adhere to the Code of Conduct and pursue their campaigns within both the letter and spirit of the law. They should publicly repudiate misconduct when credibly reported.
• The CEC should focus on targeted voter outreach and education to minority communities. Government, civil society and political party representatives should actively encourage Serb and non-Serb minorities to participate in the election process.
• Election officials should follow through on their pledges, consistent with the law, to guarantee that the voting process is transparent to party and candidate poll monitors and observers from the opening of the polls to the counting of ballots, including by publicizing the final results by polling station.

Read the full statement» [3]