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Kosovo’s Complaints and Objections Panel has ruled in favor of the Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo (KDTP), allowing ballots and election materials to be printed in Turkish for upcoming early parliamentary elections in the municipalities of Prizren and Mamusha.
The decision came after the KDTP appealed a Dec. 8 ruling by the Central Election Commission (CEC), which had excluded the Turkish language from ballots, despite it being an official language in both municipalities.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday, KDTP welcomed the panel’s ruling as a “significant achievement” that ensures the right to vote in one’s mother tongue and reinforces the community’s political representation.
“As the Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo, we will continue to fight resolutely for the protection of the rights and achievements of the Turkish community,” the party said.
KDTP member Mufera Shinik, who represents the party on the CEC, had previously criticized the commission’s decision to allow only Albanian and Serbian on the ballots. She called for Turkish to be included as an official language in Prizren and Mamusha and filed a complaint with the Complaints and Objections Panel (ECAP).
The new ruling requires that Turkish be included on ballots and in voter brochures for the snap parliamentary elections set for Dec. 28. The decision applies specifically to Prizren and Mamusha, where Turkish holds co-official status alongside Albanian and Serbian.
The KDTP said the decision is an important precedent for minority rights in Kosovo and vowed to maintain its “determined struggle” to preserve and expand the political and cultural rights of the Turkish community.
Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani dissolved the country’s ninth Assembly earlier this month after lawmakers failed to form a government following two unsuccessful nominations. She set new parliamentary elections for Dec. 28.
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