Constitutive Session Expected in August, Aliçkaj Warns Parties: Kosovo Has No More Time for Blockades

Kosovo’s acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, announced several days ago that the constitutive session of the new Assembly legislature, resulting from the June 7 elections, is expected to be held in early August.

However, there are still no concrete signs that the political parties are close to a compromise. For this reason, it remains uncertain whether the institutions will be formed within the deadline or whether Kosovo will enter another political crisis, with consequences for the functioning of the state.

Speaking to “Bota sot,” Albanian-American activist Agim Aliçkaj described the formation of new institutions as urgent and called on the parties to find a solution as soon as possible. He also referred to the invitations the acting prime minister has extended to opposition leaders for meetings.

According to Aliçkaj, after three rounds of elections that he considers entirely unnecessary, efforts to establish state institutions have become a matter that can no longer wait. He said that swift results must be achieved this time, as otherwise the functioning and very existence of the Republic of Kosovo would be at risk.

He said Prime Minister Kurti appears to have understood the importance of his role by respectfully inviting the leaders of the PDK, LDK and AAK to serious and proper talks on establishing the governing institutions. However, according to him, the statements and conduct of opposition leaders during the initial contacts do not indicate that they have properly understood the seriousness of this emergency.

Aliçkaj criticized the opposition parties’ responses to Kurti’s invitation, saying that they were showing no willingness to compromise. In his assessment, the AAK is avoiding dialogue, while the PDK intends to remain in opposition and is counting on the possibility of new elections.

Speaking about the AAK, he said its leader, Ardian Gjini, had rejected talks by presenting six demands, even though he claims they are not conditions. According to Aliçkaj, Gjini feels secure because he believes the party has nothing more to lose and that its loyal voters guarantee its presence in Parliament. He claimed that preventing the winner from governing is more important to the AAK leader, even if the state is weakened, adding that a party with such an approach does not deserve to cross the electoral threshold.

Regarding the PDK, Aliçkaj said its leader had merely made public the decision of those he called the party’s real bosses that it should remain in opposition. According to him, this amounts to a boycott of the process of establishing the institutions, in the hope that LVV and the divided LDK will be unable to secure a quorum for the election of the president and that the country will be forced to hold elections again.

He claimed that the PDK’s interest in a new electoral process is linked to what he described as deceptions by Serbian lobbyist and former US ambassador Richard Grenell regarding the release of Thaçi and Veseli from the Hague Court. Aliçkaj added that even if they were released, their impact on the vote would be minimal. According to him, the party’s real problems are corruption, subservience to foreigners and concessions to Serbia, and without apologizing for past mistakes and changing, it cannot secure new votes.

As for the LDK, Aliçkaj said the party is gripped by major internal uncertainty and that it is unclear who controls it. He recalled that leader Lumir Abdixhiku and former President Vjosa Osmani had begun talks with Prime Minister Kurti on the possibility of a coalition on a positive note, but claimed that Abdixhiku was forced to suspend them quickly after his position came under threat.

According to Aliçkaj, the LDK leader must now resolve his disagreements with fellow party members, some of whom, he claimed, sympathize with the Serb List, some with the priests of the Patriarchate of Peja and others with the PDK.

The Albanian activist further warned that the protracted political crisis is creating a dangerous situation for the state of Kosovo. He said there is no longer any room for boycotts, blockades or excuses and that blaming other parties serves no one.

Aliçkaj emphasized that only the people of Kosovo can determine who is to blame and that a people who have suffered so much and shown such patience cannot be deceived. According to him, responsibility for forming the institutions rests with all the parties that participated in the elections and, in particular, with the lawmakers elected by the people, regardless of who won and who lost.

He called on the losing parties to accept the result, act as a constructive opposition, change and work hard toward a possible victory in the regular elections four years from now. According to him, the citizens’ vote has designated Kurti as the leader.

Aliçkaj said everyone must respect the popular will expressed through the vote and understand that without a state they represent nothing. He said that, for the third consecutive time and by a decisive vote, citizens had expressed their desire for Kosovo to be led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his coalition.

According to him, if the lawmakers elected by the people follow the path of God rather than that of the devil, a solution can easily be found. He said Mr. Kurti could form the government and Parliament through a simple coalition, as needed.

For the presidency, Aliçkaj proposed putting forward three capable, independent and nonpartisan candidates. According to him, lawmakers should remain in the chamber and vote, as this is an obligation arising from the mandate for which they were elected, while the president should be elected by a majority vote.

Finally, he described Kosovo’s Constitution as highly complex and drafted for educated and conscientious people, but said it had granted excessive privileges to minorities. According to Aliçkaj, the Serb List is abusing these provisions with the aim of destroying the state.

He also criticized the decision of Kosovo’s Constitutional Court, saying that the election of the president had been complicated by what he called the unnecessary requirement for a quorum of two-thirds of lawmakers. Aliçkaj called for ways to be found to change these rules in order to create a normal situation and prevent the state from being blocked.

Concluding his remarks to “Bota sot,” Agim Aliçkaj said that establishing the institutions constitutes a state and national obligation. He warned that boycotting and blocking them for an extended period, regardless of the reasons, could turn into hostility and treason against the state and the nation.