Vetëvendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti said a political agreement has been reached over Kosovo’s next president, referring to the agreement with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) on their joint candidate, Bekim Sejdiu, but warned that the agreement must secure enough votes to prevent another election.
“We have a political agreement, that is what we have sought, but naturally the political agreement must also secure the numbers needed to avoid new elections,” Kurti said.
He stressed that constituting the Assembly and forming a new government would not, by themselves, eliminate the possibility of another election if parliament fails to elect a president.
“You know, the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the Government do not prevent new elections if we do not also elect the President,” Kurti said.
According to Kurti, the presidential vote requires the necessary parliamentary quorum, including the presence of two-thirds of all MPs in the Assembly.
He said the political agreement reached so far had apparently not been sufficient to guarantee the required numbers, making the presence of all deputies supporting the joint candidacy essential.
“The political agreement appears not to have been sufficient, which is why it is essential that all the deputies who support our joint candidate, Professor Bekim Sejdiu, are present, or that we have additional deputies,” Kurti said.
Kurti added that Vetëvendosje would nevertheless attend the Assembly session after it was called by Avni Dehari, the oldest member of parliament and chair of the constitutive session.
“Since we have a political agreement and the chair of the session, the oldest deputy, Avni Dehari, has called the session, we are responding positively,” he said.
Asked about the Assembly session being held beyond the constitutional deadline, Kurti declined to comment.
The political deadlock comes as Kosovo’s newly elected Assembly continues efforts to complete its constitution and establish the institutions formed after the June 7 parliamentary elections. The election of a president remains a critical step, as failure to secure the required votes could ultimately trigger another parliamentary election.
