The constitutive session of the 11th legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo is expected to be held in early August. Acting head of state, Albulena Haxhiu, announced on Friday that next week she will announce the exact day and time.
“Given that at the moment when the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo is constituted, and bearing in mind the numbers in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, it will be constituted, so we will not have the problem of the beginning of the year or April of last year. Given that after the constitution of the Assembly, the time limits for the election of the president begin to flow, so it is 60 days after the constitution of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, I have estimated that I should give the political parties the time available in order to reach an agreement, so that as soon as the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo is constituted, there is no need to wait 60 days to elect the president, or we don’t come to a situation that I don’t believe anyone wants, so that we don’t elect the president and once again go to extraordinary elections,” said Haxhiu.
The suspension by the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, of the talks with the Vetëvendosje Movement for the new president, Haxhiu called it a not at all positive development, while he asked for inter-party cooperation on that issue.
“Therefore, as the acting president, I have welcomed the meetings held at the invitation of the Prime Minister and the chairman of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Mr. Albin Kurti. I have positively evaluated the approach of the LDK and the PDK, that is, that they have agreed to continue these meetings. It does not seem good to me that the LDK has already suspended, as I said, the meetings to reach an agreement. I also invite the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo to respond positively to invitations for meetings, because we cannot have an agreement without having meetings. Therefore, a serious approach, constructiveness in these discussions leads to an agreement,” she said.
Meanwhile, the former American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, warned that the political impasse is damaging Kosovo’s position in relation to the USA, the EU and other partners, which was also proven by the suspension of the strategic dialogue with Washington.
“Kosovo cannot move forward with its most important strategic priorities as long as it is governed by an incumbent government or faces the threat of new elections,” Hovenier stressed in an interview with Radio Free Europe, adding that Kosovo’s political leaders must form a new government, elect a president and provide the US and other partners with a reliable and legitimate interlocutor.
He emphasized that Washington’s attention “is not infinite”. “Therefore, I think it is important to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered and not to spend too much time thinking or reflecting, but, on the contrary, to try to find common areas of cooperation and progress,” said Hovenier.
Asked who bears the greatest responsibility for the current impasse, he said: “It is difficult for me to say who bears the greatest responsibility for the current impasse. What I would emphasize is how harmful this impasse is for the citizens of Kosovo. Kosovo cannot move forward with its most important strategic priorities as long as it is governed by an incumbent government or faces the threat of new elections. Therefore, I think there is a lot of responsibility for the current situation.
If I were still the US ambassador to Kosovo, I would do everything to encourage all political leaders – whether from Vetëvendosje, PDK, LDK, AAK or other parties – to find a way out, for the good of the country and the citizens. They must form a new government, elect a president and provide the United States, the European Union and other partners with a credible and legitimate interlocutor.”
