PRISTINA, April 29 /ATA/ The Assembly of Kosovo did not succeed in electing a new president, even after Tuesday’s extraordinary session, which lasted until midnight.
Following the failure to elect a new president, Kosovo will hold fresh elections, which, according to the latest ruling of the Constitutional Court, must be held within 45 days.
Since the evening of April 27, members of the parliamentary majority attempted to elect a new president, but opposition parties boycotted the session after talks with the ruling party, Vetëvendosje Movement, failed and no agreement was reached on the president.
On April 27, Vetëvendosje withdrew its first two candidates, Glauk Konjufca and Fatmire Mulhaxha Kollçaku, and then, less than an hour later, nominated Feride Rushiti and Hatixhe Hoxha.
Amid allegations of a “constitutional coup,” because on April 27 Vetëvendosje held a round of voting for Rushiti and Hoxha, the Vetëvendosje and opposition parties engaged in wrangling throughout April 28.
The opposition also rejected the new candidacies and did not participate in any presidential session, neither on April 27 nor during Tuesday’s proceedings.
On the evening of April 28, Kosovo’s Prime Minister and leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, asked the Democratic League of Kosovo to provide 15 signatures and a candidate name for the presidency, to run against his own candidate, Feride Rushiti.
He said he would provide the signatures, since the other candidate, Hatixhe Hoxha, had agreed to withdraw.
The Democratic League of Kosovo stated that it had 15 signatures for its candidate—without revealing the name—but added that Prime Minister Albin Kurti was seeking a counter-candidate merely to secure a quorum so that Feride Rushiti could be elected president.
Kurti stated that he had made efforts to reach an agreement with the opposition parties, but to no avail.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) insisted on nominating its own candidate for president, while Vetëvendosje (LVV) criticized it for a lack of transparency.
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), on the other hand, opposed the idea that a single party—in this case Vetëvendosje (LVV)—should control the three main state institutions: the Government, the Assembly, and the Presidency.
Kurti said he had offered LDK participation in the Government or the post of Speaker of Parliament, but the offer was rejected. A similar proposal was made to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), but its leader, Bedri Hamza, dismissed it as unserious, saying there had been no official invitation for a meeting.
Under the Constitution, the president of Kosovo is elected with two-thirds of the votes in the first two rounds, or with 61 votes in the third round. However, at least 80 deputies must be present in the chamber for the session to be held.
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