Agreement on president still far from being reached

Reaching an agreement between the Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo is considered essential to overcoming the institutional deadlock in the country.

After her latest meeting with Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti and LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku, Acting President Albulena Haxhiu expressed hope that the parties would find a solution as soon as possible.

“I hope and wish that this agreement will be concluded as soon as possible, because it is extremely important that we move forward. Let us hope that next week will be decisive for this important process,” Haxhiu said.

However, the analysts interviewed remain skeptical about the possibility of the candidate for head of state receiving the necessary support in the Assembly.

Political analyst Sadik Zeqiri told RTK that there may be LDK lawmakers who will not vote for the candidate proposed by Vetëvendosje. In his assessment, timing could play a decisive role.

Meanwhile, analyst Ejup Gojnovci considers the constant changes to the names being mentioned for the post of president from one meeting to the next to be concerning.

According to Gojnovci, even a possible agreement between the two parties on the principles and the candidate would not guarantee that Kosovo will immediately elect a new president.

“The Democratic League of Kosovo cannot speak for or give guarantees regarding all of its lawmakers’ numbers and votes in the Assembly. For this reason, I believe the critical moment will be when it becomes clear whether we will have a president or not. This will happen when the candidate’s name is put to a vote,” he said.

Next week, it is expected to become clear whether negotiations between Vetëvendosje and the LDK will conclude with a concrete agreement and whether that agreement will make it possible to secure the votes needed to elect the new president.