Halilaj criticizes LDK’s conditions over the presidency, calls it a departure from its previous positions

After the parliamentary elections, the main parties have entered talks on forming the institutions, accompanied by political demands and conditions.

In this context, the Democratic League of Kosovo has indicated that the 18 votes of its MPs could be put toward a possible agreement with the Vetëvendosje Movement, but only if the post of president goes to the LDK and the candidate comes from its ranks.

This approach has sparked discussion over whether the LDK has changed its position from its earlier statements, when it insisted that the president should be a non-partisan figure. Whether this is an adaptation to the new political reality or a departure from the principles it proclaimed a few months ago remains part of the public debate.

It was precisely on this issue that Gazmend Halilaj spoke to “Bota sot,” assessing that the LDK’s demand opens a serious debate on political consistency, because just a few months ago the party was insisting on a non-partisan president.

According to Halilaj, the latest position of deputy leader Haziri makes the change in the LDK’s political stance clear.

“The Democratic League of Kosovo’s demand that the post of President be assigned to this party as a condition for giving its votes for the constitution of the institutions raises serious issues of political consistency and public responsibility. By analyzing the earlier statements of LDK officials, it is evident that for months this party defended the idea of a non-partisan, consensual and unifying president, arguing that the institution of the President should stand above party interests and represent the unity of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. However, the latest statements by deputy leader Lutfi Haziri, according to which LDK MPs can unite only if the candidate for President comes from the party’s own ranks, demonstrate a clear change in political position,” he said.

He also stressed that recent developments suggest that the LDK’s earlier demand for a non-partisan president was not a stable political principle.

“In political and legal terms, this represents a contradiction with the LDK’s previous narrative. If earlier a figure outside party structures was being sought, now it is being demanded that the post be reserved exclusively for one political entity, and even the names mentioned are senior leaders of the party itself. This creates the perception that the demand for a non-partisan president was not a stable principle, but a temporary political position linked to the circumstances of the moment.”

Halilaj went on to say that in politics compromises are necessary, but according to him they should be based on clear principles and not on frequent shifts in political positions.

“On the other hand, the Vetëvendosje Movement, as the winner of the elections, has the greatest electoral legitimacy to lead the process of forming the institutions. Conditioning votes on obtaining the post of President can be interpreted as an attempt to secure political benefits that do not stem directly from the will expressed by citizens in the elections. In a parliamentary democracy, compromises are necessary, but they should be built on clear and stable principles, not on frequent changes of position according to the political interests of the moment.”

In conclusion, he said that the LDK’s latest statements about aiming for the post of president to go to the party place it in contradiction with what it had declared earlier.

“Therefore, the LDK’s current demand can be regarded as a departure from its earlier statements in favor of a non-partisan president and as evidence of an approach that is more pragmatic than principled. This makes it difficult to argue that today’s position is in line with what the party publicly promoted months ago,” Gazmend Halilaj concluded for “Bota sot.”