The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) has formally appealed to the Constitutional Court regarding the constitutionality of the constitutive session held on June 29 and subsequent sessions. This appeal follows the Constitutional Court’s judgment issued on June 26.
The Constitutional Court’s decision obligated deputies to elect the Assembly’s bodies by June 27, but did not specify the consequences of non-compliance.
Dispute Over Secret vs. Open Voting
Among other things, the Constitutional Court’s judgment required the leading party, in cooperation and good faith, to build consensus for the election of their proposed Speaker. However, parliamentary parties are showing differing interpretations regarding whether a secret ballot for the Speaker is permissible or not.
Shkëmb Manaj, a member of the LDK leadership, after submitting the case to the Constitutional Court, accused the presiding Speaker of the constitutive session, MP Avni Dehari, and Vetëvendosje (LVV) of disregarding the Constitutional Court’s decision.
Manaj stated that the June 26 judgment prohibits the secret ballot for the Speaker, while the presiding Speaker and LVV are insisting on it. He urged the Constitutional Court for a swift decision on this matter.
Regarding President Vjosa Osmani’s statement today that a secret ballot for the Speaker is allowed but requires consensus among deputies, Manaj disagreed. He asserted that the Constitutional Court has determined that the voting must be open, and that this is no longer a matter of political will, but a matter determined by the Constitution and the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.
Manaj mentioned that he did not request a temporary measure from the Constitutional Court for the constitutive session, adding that this remains at the Court’s discretion.
Notably, on Thursday, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) also approached the Constitutional Court concerning the constitutive sessions following its judgment.
