After an institutional deadlock lasting more than a month, Kosovo’s Assembly is expected to resume the constitution process today. The suspended session has been scheduled to continue on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
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The Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) have announced that they will take part in the session. The Alliance, meanwhile, has announced that it will boycott it.
The main issue remains securing the necessary majority to elect the speaker and deputy speakers of the Assembly.
LVV’s role is seen as decisive for the further course of the proceedings. The party, which came first in the 7 June elections, has the largest number of lawmakers and remains the key factor in the vote on the Assembly’s leadership.
Albin Kurti, the leader of LVV and acting prime minister, had previously said that his party had failed to reach an agreement with the other parties on the composition of the Assembly leadership.
After the PDK meeting, its leader, Bedri Hamza, confirmed that the party’s lawmakers would attend Wednesday’s session.
Hamza said that constituting the Assembly was essential and that Kosovo needed its institutions to become operational as soon as possible.
“All the actions we are taking these days are also linked to 16 September. We are convinced that at this time Kosovo needs to have a constituted Assembly,” Hamza declared.
The PDK announced that it would nominate Vlora Çitaku for the post of deputy speaker of the Assembly. According to the party, the candidacy was submitted within the specified deadline.
The LDK has also confirmed its participation. Lawmaker Jehona Lushtaku, following a meeting of the parliamentary group, said that the party’s lawmakers would attend and help conclude the process.
“As a group, we decided to take part in the constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo and contribute to the constitution of the Assembly,” Lushtaku said.
The Alliance has adopted a position contrary to that of LVV, PDK and LDK, deciding not to attend the session.
Alliance leader Ardian Gjini said after a meeting of the leadership that the boycott decision had been supported by the overwhelming majority of lawmakers and leadership members.
Gjini said that attending the session would mean legitimizing what he called the party that won the elections’ “continued and brutal violation of the Constitution of Kosovo.”
The early parliamentary elections were held on 7 June, while their results were certified by the Central Election Commission on 8 July.
The Constitutional Court had interpreted that the Assembly had to be constituted within 30 days of the certification of the results, meaning that the deadline was 7 August.
The first session of the new legislature was convened on 6 August by acting President Albulena Haxhiu. However, the failure to elect the speaker and deputy speakers left the process unfinished.
On 8 August, the session continued under the leadership of Avni Dehari, but this effort also produced no result. Albin Kurti requested more time to continue negotiations with the other parties, and the session was suspended without a new date for its continuation.
After weeks of political pressure and repeated demands from the opposition parties to resume the proceedings, Avni Dehari announced on 4 September that the session would continue on 9 September.
The institutional crisis was also accompanied by a political development related to the election of the president. On 31 August, Albin Kurti and LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku announced that they had reached an agreement on a joint candidate.
The proposed candidate is Bekim Sejdiu, a former diplomat and former member of the Constitutional Court.
However, six LDK lawmakers have not supported the agreement, also making the process of electing the president uncertain.
