The institutional deadlock that has prevented the constitution of Kosovo’s ninth legislature continues, with no resolution in sight. Despite over a month having passed since the first attempt, the Assembly remains unconstituted, as political parties continue to trade blame for the ongoing stalemate.
Today, May 31, at 10:30 a.m., Members of Parliament will gather for the 24th attempt to establish the country’s highest legislative body. Since April 15, all efforts to move forward have failed, and the impasse has now entered its second month.
As in previous sessions, opposition parties PDK, LDK, AAK, and the Serbian List have refused to nominate members to the commission responsible for organizing the secret vote to elect the Assembly Speaker, effectively blocking the procedure.
In the last session, 55 MPs voted in favor of forming this commission, with one vote against and no abstentions. However, due to the lack of quorum, acting Speaker Avni Dehari was once again forced to adjourn the Assembly.
The inter-party tensions remain high, with mutual accusations over who is to blame for the political gridlock. PDK and AAK have rejected the nomination of Albulena Haxhiu (Vetëvendosje) for Speaker of the Assembly, while LDK has emphasized that a political agreement is the only path forward.
Despite an earlier invitation from Vetëvendosje (VV) for a coalition, which LDK refused, VV is now asserting that it doesn’t need any partners to finalize the constitution of the Assembly.
“Now the Assembly is made up of 120 MPs and must be constituted by all 120. There is no need for partners. Each has their share of responsibility,”
said Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
According to him, “There is no governmental crisis in Kosovo, but there are obstacles in electing the Assembly’s leadership.”
VV continues to back Haxhiu’s candidacy and insists on changing the voting format for the Speaker’s election. However, Haxhiu has not surpassed 57 votes in any round so far four votes short of the required 61.
With this 24th attempt looming, hopes for a breakthrough remain dim unless a political compromise is struck or a new proposal emerges that can garner broader support.
