Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called for the election of the country’s president to take place first, arguing that the proposed amendments to the law governing the Specialist Chambers should then proceed in accordance with the Assembly’s procedural deadlines.
Speaking at a press conference, Kurti described the legislation as urgent but said the presidential election represented an “emergency” that should be resolved immediately.
“The law is urgent, but the president is an emergency. The president must be elected today, while the law can be voted on afterward, while respecting the 72-hour deadline under Article 85 of the Rules of Procedure of the Kosovo Assembly,” Kurti said.
He referred to the provision governing expedited consideration of legislation, which states that the first reading of a draft law under an expedited procedure cannot take place earlier than 48 hours after the materials have been distributed, while the second reading cannot take place earlier than 72 hours after the draft law has been approved in principle.
Kurti said that if the president were elected that evening, he was prepared to publicly commit to ensuring that the second reading of the Specialist Chambers bill would take place on Thursday morning.
“Let us elect the president tonight, and I publicly commit to you that the second reading of the draft law on the Specialist Chambers will take place on Thursday morning,” Kurti said.
He stressed that the Assembly should follow its Rules of Procedure and also referred to a Constitutional Court ruling issued on January 9, 2026, saying it provided an additional reason not to bypass parliamentary procedures.
“We cannot violate the Rules of Procedure,” Kurti said, emphasizing that the proposed legislation could still be approved after the required procedural deadlines had been observed.
Kurti’s remarks come amid a political dispute over the timing of the second reading of the Specialist Chambers bill and the unresolved process of electing Kosovo’s president.
