Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku said Wednesday that Kosovo currently lacks the parliamentary numbers needed to elect a new president, following a more than two-hour meeting with Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti.
Speaking after the meeting at the Kosovo Assembly, Abdixhiku said he had attempted to find a political solution to the presidential deadlock but warned that the current balance of seats made the election of a president impossible without broader political support.
“We are in an impossible numerical situation to elect the new president,” Abdixhiku said.
He placed responsibility for the next steps on the political parties that, in his view, were unwilling to help resolve the institutional crisis.
“For the next step, you should ask those who want to take Kosovo into an unclear phase,” Abdixhiku said. “The numerical situation in the Assembly is what it is. I have tried to find a solution, but the distancing of other parties is pushing Kosovo toward new elections.”
Abdixhiku said all political parties remained welcome to contribute to a solution.
“Every party is welcome to help in this situation,” he said.
The meeting with Kurti was part of continuing efforts to reach agreement on a consensual candidate for Kosovo’s presidency and avoid another round of elections. The talks have continued for weeks amid a prolonged institutional deadlock.
The dispute over the presidency has wider constitutional implications. Under Kosovo’s electoral system, a presidential candidate needs 80 votes in the first two rounds, while a third-round vote requires a simple majority of 61. Failure to elect a president can trigger the dissolution of the Assembly and new parliamentary elections.
The latest remarks from Abdixhiku suggest that, despite continued negotiations between LDK and Vetëvendosje, securing sufficient parliamentary support remained unresolved at the time of the meeting.
