PRISHTINA, April 18 /ATA/ – The European Union has stated that it is essential for Kosovo to swiftly form a new government, as the country has stalled in its efforts to establish new institutions more than two months after parliamentary elections.
“The swift formation of the government is crucial for Kosovo to advance key reforms across all sectors, which will improve the quality of life and living conditions for the people of Kosovo,” the EU Office in Prishtina said in a written response to Radio Free Europe on Friday.
The EU office also said it is closely monitoring developments regarding the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the government and hopes that the process will be completed soon.
Kosovo has failed to constitute the new Assembly twice this week due to procedural disagreements between the political parties that won seats in the February 9 elections.
It remains unclear whether the disagreements between parliamentary parties will be resolved before the rescheduled session, which is set to continue on Saturday, April 19.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) insist that members of the caretaker government who were elected as MPs must formally resign before they can be sworn in as deputies. Otherwise, they will not vote for the report verifying the mandates—an essential step toward the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the new government.
However, the leader of Vetëvendosje (LVV) and acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, argues that such a formal act is unnecessary, as the executive has been in a caretaker role since March 23.
On Thursday, the British and German ambassadors in Pristina called on political parties to cooperate in overcoming the deadlock surrounding the formation of Kosovo’s new institutions.
The next attempt to continue the parliamentary session is scheduled for April 19. It remains unclear whether a compromise will be reached by then.
The winning party from the February elections holds 48 seats in the 120-seat assembly — short of a majority — and has yet to secure coalition support.
The EU Office reiterated that the bloc is ready to work closely with the next government once it is formed and to continue supporting Kosovo on its path toward European integration.
/RFE /u.sh/
