Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister and Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti has called for urgent talks with the leaders of the country’s three other major parliamentary parties on the selection of a new president, saying political leaders should now move beyond general discussions and begin considering specific names.
Kurti said he had written to Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Bedri Hamza, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ardian Gjini and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku, asking to meet as soon as possible to discuss a possible agreement on the presidency.
“I welcome the call by Chairman Abdixhiku for the president to be inclusive, so that it is not only two entities — Vetëvendosje and LDK. Others should also be included,” Kurti said.
He argued that the political parties should now begin discussing potential candidates rather than spending more time debating general principles.
“We really need to meet and talk about the characteristics of the presidential figure, but, frankly, we also need to start talking about names, because we are losing too much time. And what we lose most of all is time by going to elections,” Kurti said.
Kurti said he believed there were dozens of people in Kosovo who could potentially serve as president, including figures from academia, politics and civil society.
“I think there are dozens of such people in our society, in our universities, in our academy and in political life,” he said, referring to individuals who had contributed to peaceful resistance, the liberation war and democratic state-building.
However, Kurti declined to reveal the names he has in mind, arguing that publicly identifying potential candidates could undermine their chances of being considered consensual figures.
“Now spare me from telling you the names, because, as you know, the name I mention becomes stamped with my seal,” Kurti said, adding that he wanted the political leaders to sit down together and discuss the issue.
According to Kurti, Kosovo’s next president should be someone outside the current political scene and beyond daily party disputes.
The president, he said, should be “someone who is outside the current political scene, outside daily partisan controversies and who is a unifying figure.”
Kurti also disclosed that he had previously offered Abdixhiku a proposal for a “consensual president” under which the LDK would receive the position of deputy prime minister and three ministerial posts.
Another proposal, he said, involved electing Vetëvendosje deputy leader Glauk Konjufca as president, with the LDK receiving the deputy prime minister position and four ministries.
Kurti’s comments come amid a prolonged political deadlock in Kosovo, with the country’s institutions still facing uncertainty over the formation of a new government and the election of a president.
The acting prime minister has been seeking political consultations with the other parliamentary parties as efforts continue to avoid another round of elections and reach an agreement on the country’s institutional leadership.
