The Kosovan parliament cannot agree on a parliamentary speaker. (archive picture)
Keystone
In Kosovo, parliamentary business continues to be blocked. The 55th attempt to elect a new head of parliament also failed on Wednesday.
- The 55th attempt to elect a new head of parliament in Kosovo has also failed.
- The ruling party Vetevendosje was unable to get either Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu or Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla elected, as both candidates fell short of the required majority.
- The Constitutional Court is demanding an election by September 16, while opposition parties are calling for a cross-party agreement and rejecting previous members of the government as candidates.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje (“Self-Determination”) party, which has been in power since 2021, was initially unable to push through its renewed proposal for Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu. She then proposed Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla. However, she also fell short of the majority required to become parliamentary president.
Haxhiu, the only candidate for the office so far, received 57 votes out of 120 in the vote on Wednesday. However, she would have needed 61 votes. The change to Gervalla as candidate brought the same result.
The Kosovan Constitutional Court recently ruled that there can only be three votes for the same candidate. If he is not elected, another person must then be proposed.
Negotiated solution sought
Kosovo’s two leading opposition parties, the Democrats (PDK) and the Democratic League (LDK), have not completely ruled out support for a Vetevendosje candidate. PDK leader Memli Krasniqi, however, does not want to see a former member of the government as head of parliament. LDK MP Hikemi Bajrami told the media that a political agreement was needed before the election.
Vetevendosje won the parliamentary elections on February 9 with 48 seats in the 120-seat parliament. However, the party does not have a majority in parliament on its own. Since mid-April, all attempts to elect a parliamentary president have failed.
The Constitutional Court has now also ordered parliamentarians to do so by September 16.