The United States of America has reiterated its call to Kosovo’s political leaders to cooperate in the formation of institutions, in accordance with the Constitution and the decisions of the Constitutional Court.
In a response to Radio Free Europe, a spokesperson for the US State Department said that political leaders must work together to overcome the institutional deadlock.
“This ongoing political impasse is resulting in lost opportunities for Kosovo. It is time for leaders to prioritize progress and stability, for the benefit of all citizens,” the spokesman said.
This is the second similar call made by the American side in a short time, after the United States Embassy in Prishtina had expressed a similar request for cooperation on August 12.
The new American call comes at a time when the Assembly of Kosovo has not yet been constituted after the June 7 elections.
The constitutive session of the new legislature began on August 6. The MPs took the oath, but the process did not go to the stage of electing the Speaker of the Assembly.
Albin Kurti, in his capacity as the head of the Vetëvendosje Movement, asked for additional time for consultations with the parties, saying that there was still no agreement on the formation of institutions. The hearing was adjourned and set to resume on August 8.
Even in the continuation of August 8, there was no candidate for the Speaker of the Assembly. Kurti again asked for additional time for consultations with the parties, but after that the AAK deputy, Time Kadrijaj, threw eggs in his direction. After this incident, the chairman of the session, Avni Dehari, interrupted the proceedings.
Since then, the process has been stalled. Dehari has said that the next session will be called when the parties reach an agreement to resolve the crisis, arguing that without a political agreement it makes no sense to hold the session only as a formality.
Meanwhile, in an effort to find a political solution, on August 18, Kurti met with the chairman of the LDK, Lumir Abdixik, with a focus on the election of the next president; after the meeting, both said that there was a will to find a solution, while they agreed that in the next meeting they will examine specific names for the president.
The PDK and the Alliance, on the other hand, have requested that the session continue without waiting for a political agreement. On August 12, MPs from these two parties gathered in the Assembly Hall asking Dehari to call the continuation of the session, while there was also a clash with LVV MPs.
In addition to the USA, the European Union has previously called on political parties to find a solution to the institutional crisis as soon as possible. The EU has warned that political deadlock and delays in implementing reforms could limit Kosovo’s ability to benefit from European support.
Within the Growth Plan, 882.6 million euros have been made available to Kosovo in grants and favorable loans until the end of 2027, while the payments are related to the fulfillment of the steps defined in the Reform Agenda.
The European Commission has determined 111 reform steps for Kosovo. For 13 of them, with a total value of 90.8 million euros, the first fulfillment deadline was June 30, 2026, while another 27 steps, with a value of 165.9 million euros, have a deadline until the end of December.
Even the International Monetary Fund has assessed that the prolonged political impasse has limited Kosovo’s progress in implementing the Growth Plan reform agenda and access to external financing./REL
