By Xhorxhina Bami
President Vjosa Osmani held a meeting with Kosovo’s four main political parties on Thursday after MPs failed to inaugurate a new parliament for the 16th time in a row, but no progress was made towards finding a solution.
The meeting was held exactly one month after efforts began to elect a parliamentary speaker and establish a new legislature in the wake of the February 9 elections.
The winning party, Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje, insists that its choice, acting minister of justice Albulena Haxhiu, should be speaker. The opposition parties disagree and are blocking the process.
Osmani warned that constitutional principles were being “jeopardised” and that there could be serious consequences for Kosovo.
She cited a “delay in disbursement from the EU growth plan of about 900 million euros”, delays to processes of obtaining membership of international organisations and the approval of laws – as well as the damage caused to public trust and the country’s image internationally.
She said meetings will continue in the coming week and that she will give political parties some time to potentially reach an agreement to inaugurate a new parliament before taking concrete steps.
Osmani explained that there are two options: either MPs request a Constitutional Court review of the process, or “I, as president, will address the Constitutional Court”. She said “there were no objections” from the leaders of the four main political parties to this course of action.
At the meeting were Vetevendosje leader and acting Prime Minister Kurti, Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK leader Memli Krasniqi, Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku, and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj.
Kurti did not speak to journalists after the meeting.
The PDK’s Krasniqi told media: “I once again requested that the leader of Vetevendosje, MP Kurti, change the candidate [for parliamentary speaker]” and “come up with a proposal… that will obtain a parliamentary majority”.
LDK leader Abdixhiku told media that neither the president nor the election-winning party have a solution to offer.
“I was very surprised that he [Kurti] told us that there is no urgency,” he said.
The AAK’s Haradinaj said after the meeting that his party “would vote for a unifying candidate for the head the parliament in order to move to the next stage”.
The Constitutional Court has not established a deadline for the inauguration of parliament, meaning that legal deadlines only exist for the formation of a government – a process that cannot start without the election of a parliamentary speaker and their deputies.
However, Kosovo’s legal framework requires parliament to meet every 48 hours until its inauguration, meaning that its next session will be on May 17.