Bugaqku: Haxhiu’s term as acting president ends on October 4

Following her re-election as speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu will continue to serve as acting president of Kosovo.

Kosovo’s constitutional legislation allows the speaker of the Assembly to exercise this role in the absence of the president for a period of up to six months.

Haxhiu assumed the role of acting president on April 4, 2026, the day President Vjosa Osmani’s term ended.

The six-month period that began on April 4 expires on October 4. According to Vullnet Bugaqku of the Kosovo Democratic Institute [KDI], Haxhiu’s re-election as speaker of the Assembly does not restart this period.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe, Bugaqku said that Haxhiu’s term as acting president ends on October 4.

“After this date, the six-month period expires, and legally, he or she is not entitled to continue functioning as acting president because this would be contrary to Article 90, paragraph 3, of the Constitution of Kosovo,” he said.

He warned that any decree or decision issued by Haxhiu after this date would be constitutionally vulnerable and could be overturned by the courts.

Bugaqku called on lawmakers, from the day the Assembly is constituted, to consider the deadline of October 4 an emergency and work toward electing a new president.

According to him, allowing this deadline to pass without electing a new president would pose a risk to the security of the state.

“For the state of Kosovo and the parliamentary constitutional system in Kosovo, this would mean a very serious stain and a dangerous precedent that also undermines national security,” Bugaqku said.