The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, stated that the deputies of his party will attend the Parliament on Thursday, April 17, for the continuation of the constitutive session.
The session for the constitution of the ninth legislature, arising from the February 9th elections, was interrupted after nearly 2 hours of proceedings on Tuesday, as the deputies did not approve the report of the Temporary Committee for verifying mandates and quorum.
The Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of Kosovo stipulate that if a session for the constitution of the legislature is interrupted, such interruptions “cannot last longer than 48 hours.”
“The constitutive session of the Assembly of the Republic must be held and convened no later than every 48 hours. Tomorrow, at 10:00 AM, as foreseen by the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of Kosovo, LDK deputies will be present at the session that must take place,” Abdixhiku wrote on Facebook.
LDK deputies, along with those from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), voted against the report, stating that members of the government who were elected as deputies should have formally resigned earlier to be able to swear in as deputies of the new parliamentary composition.
However, the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, argued that the current government is either resigned or in office because it completed its regular four-year term on March 23.
On April 15, he also sent a letter to the Parliament informing them of his resignation from the executive position to be able to swear in as a deputy. However, PDK, LDK, and AAK stated that Kurti and other government members should offer formal resignations.
“LDK invites all certified deputies and all parliamentary parties to be present at this session,” Abdixhiku said, reiterating his request to government members to resign.
“We invite the government cabinet, who claim to have resigned but paradoxically still hold government meetings and make decisions, to resign and submit these resignations to the organs of the Assembly of Kosovo,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Kurti said during a government meeting that the executive remains in office until the election of a new government. He stated that the laws and the Constitution allow the government to continue its duties, but with limited powers.
Kurti considered the resignation request as “unreasonable” and said it risks creating an institutional vacuum.
He also said that his party, as the winner of the elections, is interested in forming the new institutions as soon as possible.
LVV had previously stated that it would not cooperate with any of the Albanian parties, but recently acknowledged that it cannot form the government only with non-Serb minorities.
The major Albanian parties have expressed opposition to cooperating with LVV, but the Social Democratic Initiative – which won three deputies – has not set red lines for any party, although it has stated that no agreement has yet been made with Kurti’s party.
