Members of the Assembly of Kosovo have still not succeeded in constituting the Assembly, even after the seventh consecutive attempt, as the candidate from the winning party, Vetëvendosje (VV), once again failed to get elected as Speaker on Sunday.
The next session will be held today, announced Avni Dehari, the presiding officer of the constitutive session.
Ahead of the session, representatives of parliamentary parties had already anticipated another failure, stating their positions have not changed from previous sessions.
Nearly three months after the February 9 elections, the process has stalled due to disagreements among the major parliamentary parties over the position of Assembly Speaker.
VV’s candidate for Assembly Speaker is Albulena Haxhiu.
Why is Haxhiu the sticking point in constituting the Assembly?
The constitution of the Assembly, which began on April 15, has repeatedly failed because Vetëvendosje has not secured the 61 votes required for its candidate, Albulena Haxhiu.
VV holds 48 of the Assembly’s 120 seats, and on Sunday, Haxhiu received only 57 votes.
Opposition deputies said Sunday’s outcome proves that Prime Minister Albin Kurti doesn’t even have enough votes to form a new government.
The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, accused Vetëvendosje of holding the country “hostage” by insisting on nominating only Haxhiu.
“All of this is happening because of VV’s stubbornness to hold the state hostage for one person. The only way forward is for them to withdraw and present another candidate,” Krasniqi said.
He added, “It’s clear that VV doesn’t have the numbers, not for Albulena Haxhiu and not even for Albin Kurti to form a government.”
“If this blockade continues, it would be much better to go to new elections,” Krasniqi emphasized.
Hykmete Bajrami from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said VV lacks votes not only for Haxhiu but for any other candidate.
She called for a political agreement between VV and other parties—but not with LDK.
“Institutions are constituted through political agreements. VV insists on taking all institutions without having a majority, but that cannot happen,” Bajrami said.
She added that VV has failed if it leaves no room for cooperation with other political parties.
LDK received an invitation for a post-election meeting from Kurti, but declined it.
Haxhiu is seen by PDK and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) as a “divisive figure,” while LDK has said it will not support any candidate from VV.
VV maintains that Haxhiu is a worthy candidate. Although they have called for political agreement, they have ruled out the possibility of proposing anyone else.
Hekuran Murati, a VV deputy, said the blockage is due to those voting against their candidate—not those supporting her.
“Only the constitution of the Assembly paves the way for other processes, which then depend on political agreements and the governing coalition,” he said.
Murati noted that VV is willing to compromise with other parties only for the Deputy Speaker roles—not for the Speaker.
Time Kadrijaj from AAK said perhaps the President should intervene to break the deadlock by asking the Constitutional Court to clarify the constitutional deadlines for constituting the Assembly.
In yesterday’s session, deputies were expected to elect the Speaker and five Deputy Speakers in order to fully constitute the Assembly of Kosovo.
Only after the Assembly is constituted can the process of forming the new government begin.
VV won the February 9 elections with around 42% of the vote, securing 48 seats.
To form the government, it needs at least 61 votes.
After VV, the most votes went to PDK with 24 seats, followed by LDK with 20 seats.
AAK and Nisma together have eight seats, three of which belong to Nisma.
The European Union has recently stated that Kosovo must quickly form its new institutions.
