In a move that has pushed Kosovo to the very brink of a constitutional crisis, the Speaker of the Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu, has abruptly adjourned the extraordinary session for the election of the President, rescheduling it for 11:00 PM tonight.
The new start time leaves the Assembly with only one hour to elect a head of state before the midnight deadline expires. If a President is not elected by the end of the day, Kosovo’s Constitution mandates the automatic dissolution of the Assembly and the announcement of early parliamentary elections.
A High-Stakes Ultimatum
Shortly after the session opened to empty opposition benches, Speaker Haxhiu addressed the remaining deputies and the public with a final call for compromise.
“I am forced to interrupt this session, and I call upon the deputies to return at 23:00,” Haxhiu announced. “I urge them to find the space to give this country a President with a five-year mandate.”
The statement was a direct appeal to the opposition parties, who have so far boycotted the session called by the ruling Vetëvendosje movement, denying the chamber the necessary 80-vote quorum required for the presidential ballot.
The Constitutional Precipice
The political atmosphere in Prishtina is electric with tension. Without a President by midnight:
- The Assembly is Dissolved: Legislative work ceases immediately.
- Early Elections: Kosovo would head to the polls for the second time in rapid succession, following the “lost year” of 2025.
- Financial Risk: As warned by the EU earlier today, over €1.3 billion in developmental aid and growth funds remain at risk if institutional stability is not restored.
Opposition leaders have yet to signal whether they will attend the 11:00 PM session or allow the clock to run out, potentially forcing the country into a total institutional reset.
