Institutional Deadlock in Kosovo Deepens: PDK Insists on Wednesday Session, LVV Demands Prior Agreement

The political deadlock over the establishment of the Assembly has entered a new phase after the Democratic Party of Kosovo requested that the session resume on August 12, even though the parties have yet to reach an agreement.

The request was sent to Avni Dehari, who is chairing the session as the oldest member of the Assembly. He had previously stated that the session would not continue without a political agreement.

These developments come after the 30-day constitutional deadline for constituting the Assembly expired, while the parties remain at odds over the formation of the new institutions.

“The next session will be called only after an agreement is reached to overcome the crisis. Without one, there is no point in meeting simply as a formality,” Dehari stressed.

The Vetëvendosje Movement has taken a similar position, emphasizing the need for an agreement.

However, PDK has announced that its MPs will appear in the Assembly chamber at 11:00 on Wednesday, regardless of whether Dehari calls the session.

It has also called on the other parliamentary groups and elected representatives to attend.

“The obligation to conclude the constitutive process remains and must be fulfilled without further delay,” the PDK announcement said.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo said on August 11 that the failure to constitute the Assembly and the suspension of the session amounted to a “direct attack” on the constitutional order.

“The Constitution is not a recommendation. Court decisions are not optional. The rules apply to everyone — including those in power,” PDK wrote on Facebook, warning that it would defend the constitutional order “by every means.”

A day earlier, PDK leader Bedri Hamza had announced “a series of legal, political and democratic actions” to oppose what he called the degradation of the institutions. PDK has yet to provide details of what these steps would entail.

Meanwhile, some within PDK have also proposed a different political path to overcome the deadlock.

MP Rrustem Mustafa has called on the leaders of PDK and LVV to meet and consider the possibility of a coalition between the country’s two largest political forces.

According to him, amid the absence of a functioning Assembly and government, “grand coalitions” are a “state necessity,” citing the former PDK-LDK coalition as an example.

“I am not asking you to forget the past. I am asking you not to allow the past to hold your future hostage. We have no time for grudges, revenge, or ‘ifs’ and ‘buts,’” he said.

Representatives of the Democratic League of Kosovo have also insisted that constitutional deadlines and procedures be respected. LDK is the only opposition party to have held several meetings with Vetëvendosje over a possible agreement.

The central point of disagreement remains the election of the new president. Kurti has insisted that the parties agree on a consensual, nonpartisan candidate, while LDK has demanded that the presidency go to the party, arguing that a consensus candidate can be considered one who manages to secure the required 80 votes in the Assembly. The parties have met several times during August but have yet to reach an agreement.

The Alliance, on the other hand, has refused to meet with Kurti. The party has consistently insisted that constitutional deadlines be respected and has blamed Vetëvendosje for the institutional deadlock.

On August 8, Alliance MP Time Kadriaj threw eggs at acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the continuation of the constitutive session, which had begun on August 6.

Political analyst Dritëro Arifi says the responsibility for exerting political pressure under the current circumstances lies with the opposition. According to him, it has failed to develop a common approach to the crisis. “Unfortunately, the opposition is extremely divided and fragmented. It lacks a common focus,” Arifi said, adding that more concrete action is needed, including “alerting all institutions in defense of democracy.”

“I think strong political action is needed, not merely statements to the media,” Arifi said. He views the current situation as the result of the government’s deliberate violation of constitutional rules. “Tolerating violations of the Constitution sends a signal. It also signals the creation of a new culture in which the current laws do not apply to us, and this fully reinforces the Vetëvendosje Movement’s narrative that the Constitution is irrelevant,” he said.

In the absence of a political agreement, fresh elections are being discussed as one possible way out of the crisis. Arifi agrees that the country may end up holding elections again, but stresses that there must first be accountability for the violations committed.

“Of course we should go to elections, but I think it would be illogical to do so without first sanctioning the serious constitutional violations,” he said.

He warns that the continuation of the deadlock could deepen the institutional crisis even further in the coming months.

“We have entered the second week of August and, unless serious measures and action are taken, October will arrive very quickly. We are currently only at the beginning of the problems,” Arifi said.

October 4 marks six months since Albulena Haxhiu took office as acting president following the end of Vjosa Osmani’s term on April 4. Kosovo’s Constitution stipulates that the position of acting president may not be held for more than six months.

However, it does not specify who would exercise presidential powers if this period ends without a new president being elected. Constitutional law experts have also raised this issue as a potential legal vacuum. If the Assembly remains unconstituted by then, Kosovo would simultaneously face the absence of a functioning Assembly and the expiration of the six-month term of the acting president.