All of those people who have committed serious criminal offenses and have been sentenced to six months in prison by the court, in or outside the country, are not entitled to run in the local government elections.
This is the proposal announced by the Democratic Party regarding several transitory amendments in the Electoral Code that aims to stop the registration of candidates with a criminal past to run in the June 21 local elections.
The head of the Decriminalization Committee, Oerd Bylykbashi says that in the amendment of the democrats, those individuals who have been sentenced to more than six months in prison, may run only after a two year rehabilitation period.
The rehabilitation period for sentences of over two years for serious criminal offenses is suggested to be 10 years. For more serious crime, up to 20 years.
According to the proposal of the democrats, the candidacy will be suspended in cases the court has remanded the candidate in custody or placed him or her under house arrest for the criminal offenses of participation in criminal or terrorist organizations and the perpetration of other acts for terrorist purposes.
All those people who have intentionally committed a crime are also prohibited to run, although this offense is not classified as a serious crime. The amendments do not affect those people who have been fined.
The democrats’ amendments are expected to be deliberated in Parliament and the votes of the majority are required for them, because they affect the Electoral Code.
In the recent days, the US embassy expressed its concerns that it had found people with criminal records in the list of candidates for mayors and the embassy informed the parties that had run these individuals on this.
Source: http://www.balkaneu.com/amendments-electoral-code-aim-decriminalization/
