A roundtable on the findings of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) and its recommendations to strengthen the electoral process took place in Pristina today. The event, which was opened by HoO/EUSR Ambassador Tomáš Szunyog and the Deputy Chief Observer Konrad Olszewski, was attended by representatives of the Central Election Commission, state institutions, political parties and civil society organisations.
“Improving and strengthening the electoral process is a necessity in every democracy, and especially in emerging democracies. Assessments and recommendations provided by election observers, such as the EU EOM, can feed into this process and hence help promote an environment for credible, inclusive and transparent elections that is in line with international standards and best practices. The actual course of action must, however, be driven by local stakeholders as part of their ownership of the electoral reform agenda. From the EU side, we stand ready to support the process“, said Ambassador Szunyog.
Prior to delivering recommendations, the EU Election Observation Mission has met with a wide range of interlocutors to discuss shortcomings identified in the process, with a view to offering relevant and actionable recommendations, provided that there is political will to improve the electoral process ahead of the next elections.
Mr. Konrad Olszewski, deputy Chief Observer of the EU EOM presented an overview of the 23 recommendations offered by the EU EOM report stating: “Today’s roundtable was a great opportunity for key electoral actors to come together and discuss in an inclusive manner the ways in which the electoral reform process can be taken forward. We sincerely hope that the long-standing electoral issues identified in our report, as well as in previous EU EOM reports, will finally be addressed, and our recommendations will be of added value in this process.
