Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has warned that failure to elect a new president could send the country to another parliamentary election, while arguing that such a scenario is unnecessary.
Kurti said the current Assembly has both the mandate and responsibility to elect Kosovo’s next president, stressing that the country does not hold direct presidential elections.
“If we fail to elect a new president, we will go to elections. New elections are unnecessary. We have an Assembly, and this Assembly can give the country a president or a president. We must understand that Kosovo does not have presidential elections. Why should we go to elections again only to constitute an Assembly that cannot elect a president?” Kurti said.
His comments come after the Constitutional Court determined that lawmakers have until October 6 to elect a new head of state if they want to avoid the dissolution of the Assembly and another snap parliamentary election.
The current Assembly was constituted on September 13, when the new government led by Kurti was also elected.
Under Kosovo’s constitutional procedure, the president is elected by the Assembly rather than through a direct nationwide vote. The process therefore requires political parties represented in parliament to reach the necessary parliamentary majority.
Kurti’s remarks underline the pressure on Kosovo’s political parties to reach an agreement before the constitutional deadline expires.
