The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Dimal Basha, declared yesterday the “closure” of the constitutive session, despite the Assembly’s failure on Saturday to elect the deputy speaker from the non-majority Serb community.
Two deputies from the Serb List, Miljana Nikolliq and Igor Simiq, did not receive a single vote in three rounds of voting each, after their names were drawn by lot for the ballot by Speaker Basha.
Another deputy from this community, Nenad Rashiq, also failed to be elected, as he received 56 votes in favor, five short of the required minimum of 61.
The failure to elect a deputy means that the Assembly no longer has any representative from the Serb non-majority community to vote for deputy speaker. Days earlier, the Assembly had elected the speaker and four deputy speakers.
Speaker Basha emphasized that the constitutive session “ends here”, even though the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly state that the constitutive session concludes only with the election of the speaker and all five deputy speakers of the Assembly.
“We, as the Assembly, have no other way to proceed regarding the deputy speaker coming from the Serb minority, therefore, in this case, I consider that we have exhausted item four of the agenda as well. I consider that this constitutive session is closed,” said Basha.
He called a meeting of the Assembly Presidency for Monday, September 1.
“In the name of the functionality of the Assembly and the realization of the electoral result of February 9, we believe that the non-election of one of the six members of the Assembly Presidency cannot be used as an obstacle to block the constitution of the Assembly,” Basha stressed.
Vetëvendosje says the Assembly is constituted, others disagree
For Vetëvendosje, the winner of the February elections, the Assembly of Kosovo “is constituted”, but this position has been rejected by other parliamentary parties and by legal experts.
Two Vetëvendosje deputies, Hekuran Murati and Albulena Haxhiu, said after the session that the country should proceed with the formation of the new government.
Murati:
“The situation is constitutional, because we have exhausted all possibilities. All candidates have been tried, and none received the votes. In such a situation, the country cannot be blocked. We should move to the appointment of the Prime Minister-designate, then we’ll see. We should move forward with the institutions, their creation. Whether we have the numbers will be seen in the session when the Government is voted on.”
Haxhiu:
“It is important that we move forward with the Assembly Presidency, the speaker and the deputy speakers who have been elected. We are interested in moving forward either with the new Government, or with elections.”
LDK: The Assembly is not constituted yet
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) stressed that the Assembly has not yet been constituted.
“The Constitution of the Republic, the Rules of the Assembly and the relevant rulings of the Constitutional Court are clear and unambiguous regarding the procedures and conditions for its constitution. Any attempt to interpret otherwise or to bypass these fundamental provisions represents a violation of the constitutional order and an infringement of the democratic principles upon which our state is built,” the LDK wrote on Facebook.
The LDK emphasized that the Assembly cannot function or make decisions without first completing the constitution process according to law and regulations. The party did not vote for Basha as speaker, nor for the elected deputy speakers, including the one from the Serb non-majority community.
PDK: Vetëvendosje is mocking the Assembly and citizens
The chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, said that Vetëvendosje is “mocking the Assembly and the citizens.”
“It does not depend on the will or interpretation of the Speaker of the Assembly whether the constitutive session has ended or not. This is clear according to the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure,” said Krasniqi.
