The European Union has stated that it is essential for Kosovo to swiftly form a new government, as the country has stalled in its efforts to establish new institutions more than two months after parliamentary elections.
“The swift formation of the government is crucial for Kosovo to advance key reforms across all sectors, which will improve the quality of life and living conditions for the people of Kosovo,” the EU Office in Pristina said in a written response to Radio Free Europe on Friday.
The EU also said it is closely monitoring developments regarding the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the government and hopes that the process will be completed soon.
Kosovo has failed to constitute the new Assembly twice this week due to procedural disagreements between the political parties that won seats in the February 9 elections.
It remains unclear whether the disagreements between parliamentary parties will be resolved before the rescheduled session, which is set to continue on Saturday, April 19.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) insist that members of the caretaker government who were elected as MPs must formally resign before they can be sworn in as deputies. Otherwise, they will not vote for the report verifying the mandates—an essential step toward the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the new government.
However, the leader of Vetëvendosje (LVV) and acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, argues that such a formal act is unnecessary, as the executive has been in a caretaker role since March 23.
On Thursday, the British and German ambassadors in Pristina called on political parties to cooperate in overcoming the deadlock surrounding the formation of Kosovo’s new institutions.
PDK, LDK, and AAK blamed Vetëvendosje for halting the Assembly sessions, accusing the party of trying to “buy time for political bargaining,” as they claim Kurti’s party does not currently have the votes to elect the speaker of parliament or form a government.
Vetëvendosje won the February 9 elections with about 42 percent of the vote, securing 48 of the 120 seats in the Kosovo Assembly.
However, the party needs at least 61 seats to form a new government.
Following LVV in the election results were PDK with 24 seats, LDK with 20, and AAK and Nisma with eight seats combined—three of which belong to Nisma.
Nisma’s leader, Fatmir Limaj, has been the only one from the other Albanian parties to leave the door open for potential cooperation with Kurti.
Last week, Kurti also met with the leaders of 10 non-Serb minority parties in an effort to secure the necessary votes to form a government, though it remains unclear whether he has gained their full support.
The EU Office reiterated that the bloc is ready to work closely with the next government once it is formed and to continue supporting Kosovo on its path toward European integration. /RFE
