President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani responded today to questions about the deepening budget crisis in the municipalities of Prishtina, Gjilan, and Zubin Potok, emphasizing that political parties bear full responsibility for refusing to participate in the voting process.
Osmani stated that she had urged all parties to convene and approve the municipal budgets, stressing that their absence was a deliberate political choice.
“I asked the parties to gather and vote on the budget. These municipalities were listed as a separate item, but they chose not to attend. This is allowed; it is not unlawful, as we approved a similar measure even during the Hoti Government,” Osmani told Klan Kosova.
The three municipalities currently face major financial debt, as their 2025 budgets were not approved by their respective municipal assemblies. The budget also failed to pass in the Assembly of Kosovo, after opposition parties declared the procedure unlawful and boycotted the session convened by VV deputies.
The consequences are already visible, especially in Prishtina, where all Trafiku Urban bus lines were suspended starting today. Workers have warned that they have gone six months without salaries, prompting protests first in front of the Prishtina Municipality and later at the Government of Kosovo.
The Mayor of Prishtina, Përparim Rama, has requested an urgent meeting with Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Acting Finance Minister Hekuran Murati, urging immediate intervention to address what he described as a rapidly deteriorating situation affecting the daily lives of the capital’s residents.
