Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has asked the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to publicly commit to bringing its deputies to the Assembly for the presidential vote, as political parties seek to resolve the institutional deadlock before the constitutional deadline expires.
Kurti said PDK leader Bedri Hamza should provide a commitment that at least half of the party’s 22 lawmakers would participate in the presidential vote. In return, Kurti proposed that the Assembly first proceed with the second reading of the bill amending the Law on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, followed by the presidential election.
Kurti said the proposed presidential candidates include Glauk Konjufca and Feride Rushiti, while he has also previously backed professor Bekim Sejdiu as a potential candidate. He said the precise order would depend on an agreement with the PDK.
The dispute centers on the PDK’s demand that the amendments to the Specialist Chambers law be completed before its 22 deputies commit their votes for a president. PDK has maintained that the legislation should be approved through both readings before the presidential vote.
Kurti, meanwhile, has argued that the presidential election must be resolved before the constitutional deadline, while also offering to advance the Specialist Chambers legislation. Earlier proposals had envisaged the presidential vote taking place first, followed by the second reading of the amendments.
The political standoff comes on the final day of the deadline for electing Kosovo’s president. Failure to elect a president within the prescribed period would lead to the dissolution of the Assembly and early parliamentary elections.
