Serb MPs have signed their oaths of office—but not inside the Assembly hall, where cameras could record them. In copies obtained by KOHA, they not only pledged loyalty to the Republic but also explicitly committed to protecting Kosovo’s sovereignty. Meanwhile, some of their Albanian colleagues made notable grammatical errors when handwriting their names. Among those who didn’t follow the rules is the Assembly’s only academic.
The nine newly elected MPs from the Serb List refused to sign their oaths within the Assembly chamber, avoiding potential video footage. Instead, they submitted handwritten and signed documents, written in Serbian, affirming their commitment as lawmakers of the Republic of Kosovo.
“I, a Member of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, solemnly swear to perform my duty with honor and commitment, to represent the people with dignity, to work in the interest of Kosovo and all its citizens, to uphold and defend the constitutionality and legality, the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and institutional integrity of Kosovo, and to guarantee human rights and freedoms in accordance with the laws of the country. I swear!”
Four of the Serb List deputies wrote their names using the Cyrillic alphabet. One of them, Liljana Stefanović, made a date error, writing “5” instead of “4” to indicate the month.
Mistakes were not limited to Serb MPs. Albanian MPs also made various errors while filling in the three handwritten fields: name, signature, and date. Many failed to adhere to basic grammar rules, especially when using uppercase block letters.
Even Kujtim Shala, the Assembly’s only academic and a literary theorist, placed dots over the uppercase printed letters “I” and “J”—a mistake repeated by nearly 20 other MPs, including current ministers Faton Peci, Ejup Maqedonci, Elbert Krasniqi, and Liza Gashi.
The name of former Education Minister Arbërie Nagavci was reportedly difficult to read. Acting Finance Minister Hekuran Murati, on the other hand, wrote with the smallest font among all MPs—sparing even his oath of unnecessary ink.
Some MPs capitalized only parts of their last names, some started them with lowercase letters, while others omitted letters altogether or got the date of oath wrong.
The most careful, however, were party leaders. Their oaths contained no errors, with figures like Ramush Haradinaj even demonstrating a flair for stylization.
The oath was taken on April 19, during the third attempt to constitute the new legislature. Though ten follow-up sessions have occurred since, the constitutive session is still not complete.
