Newsroom
Responsibilities of civil servants who are candidates for Kosovo Assembly election
PRISTINA 8 September 2004
PRISTINA, 8 September 2004 - The Ministry of Public Services and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo would like to remind civil servants who are candidates for the Assembly of Kosovo Election on October 23 of their rights and obligations.
In accordance with the legislation on Kosovo civil service, civil servants can be members of political parties or other political organizations but are to refrain from active involvement in political activity as it could harm their impartiality. The names of the certified candidates for the Assembly elections were made public on 2 September 2004 by the Central Election Commission (CEC), accessible at www.cec-ko.org. Civil servants who are on any certified candidate list should resign or take unpaid leave, depending on their rank in the civil service.
Permanent secretaries, chief executive officers and head of departments should resign from their office if they have been certified to participate as a candidate in the upcoming election.
All other civil servants who are candidates must take unpaid leave from the Civil Service immediately. When the final results are announced, a civil servant elected for a public post must resign to take up their duties as an elected official. Only one position is permitted. If not elected, civil servants can return to their duties within one week of the official election results.
The candidacy and election of civil servants in the Assembly has an implication for political activity. It is inconsistent with the principles of political neutrality and objectivity of the civil service in the democratic society Kosovo aspires to be. The rules that impose a choice between keeping a civil service position and running in an election have been put in place to ensure that civil servants act in a politically impartial manner as they carry out their responsibilities towards the people of Kosovo.
In accordance with the legislation on Kosovo civil service, civil servants can be members of political parties or other political organizations but are to refrain from active involvement in political activity as it could harm their impartiality. The names of the certified candidates for the Assembly elections were made public on 2 September 2004 by the Central Election Commission (CEC), accessible at www.cec-ko.org. Civil servants who are on any certified candidate list should resign or take unpaid leave, depending on their rank in the civil service.
Permanent secretaries, chief executive officers and head of departments should resign from their office if they have been certified to participate as a candidate in the upcoming election.
All other civil servants who are candidates must take unpaid leave from the Civil Service immediately. When the final results are announced, a civil servant elected for a public post must resign to take up their duties as an elected official. Only one position is permitted. If not elected, civil servants can return to their duties within one week of the official election results.
The candidacy and election of civil servants in the Assembly has an implication for political activity. It is inconsistent with the principles of political neutrality and objectivity of the civil service in the democratic society Kosovo aspires to be. The rules that impose a choice between keeping a civil service position and running in an election have been put in place to ensure that civil servants act in a politically impartial manner as they carry out their responsibilities towards the people of Kosovo.