Five days before the deadline, parties still have no agreement on the president

Kosovo is at a decisive stage in the election of a new president, but the political parties have still not reached an agreement that would secure the necessary numbers in the Assembly.

The procedure must be completed by October 6, a date set by the Constitutional Court. According to its decision, the 60-day period began on August 8 and expires on October 6.

Failure to elect a president within this deadline would lead to the dissolution of the Assembly, in accordance with constitutional provisions, sending the country toward a new electoral process. For this reason, the five days that remain are crucial for the parliamentary parties, which must find a common solution to avoid another institutional crisis, reports “Bota sot”.

Albin Kurti has called for cooperation among the parliamentary entities and announced that he would begin contacting opposition leaders over the issue of the president.

The prime minister said the meetings with the opposition aim to reach an agreement by October 6, so as not to create the conditions for new parliamentary elections. However, it is still unclear whether the remaining time will be sufficient to reach a concrete agreement.

One of the alternatives considered earlier was an agreement between the Vetëvendosje Movement and the LDK on the candidacy of Bekim Sejdiu.

This candidacy did not receive full support within the LDK. Six deputies from the party opposed the agreement, after which Sejdiu withdrew from the race. Despite his withdrawal, Kurti has stated that Sejdiu remains the LVV candidate for the post of president.

The deadlock has once again forced the parties to seek a new agreement, as the election of the head of state requires the constitutionally prescribed majority.

Negotiations have also been complicated by the PDK’s demands to amend the Law on Specialist Chambers.

PDK Chairman Bedri Hamza has requested that the issue of the president be addressed together with demands for legal changes related to the Specialist Court. LVV, meanwhile, has called for priority to be given to the election of the president and ensuring the functioning of the institutions.

The issue of electing the president has thus also become linked to recent political developments in Kosovo, particularly the judgments of the Specialist Chambers and the statement adopted by the Assembly regarding these developments.

Other opposition parties have also presented various positions and demands regarding how to reach a presidential agreement.

For this reason, an agreement between only two entities may not be sufficient to secure the votes. Numerous contacts between the parties are expected in the coming days, while attention will focus on finding a candidate who can receive broader support in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, 45 civil society organizations have called on the parliamentary parties to reach an agreement by October 6. They have urged the parties to remain open to candidates who could receive votes beyond a single entity.

The final deadline, October 6, leaves the political scene facing two possibilities: reaching an agreement and electing the president through the Assembly, or dissolving this institution and beginning a new electoral process.

So far, no final agreement has been reached, but the announced communications between the ruling parties and the opposition leave room for intensive negotiations during the final days.

The only certainty is that the parties have very little time available and that October 6 remains the deadline set by the Constitutional Court for concluding the presidential election procedure.