Kurti seeks PDK votes for president: With more than 80 votes, Sejdiu would not reject saving Kosovo from elections

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called on the PDK to support the election of the president, offering in return the votes of the Vetëvendosje Movement for the Special Court Law.

Commenting on Bekim Sejdiu’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for president, Kurti said that the professor would not have rejected the process if more than 80 votes had been secured.

“If the PDK is against it, let it express this through its vote. Let it vote against it, but at least take part in the process. Bekim Sejdiu appeared at the press conference with us and had agreed to be elected president. Let them vote against it or abstain, but let them be present. It is difficult to imagine that, in such a situation and with a joint vote, Professor Sejdiu would also say: ‘No, I do not want to save Kosovo from unnecessary new elections,’” Kurti said.

According to the prime minister, Sejdiu withdrew after support for his candidacy fell from 80 to 74 votes.

“He withdrew when the number of votes fell from 80 to 74. Bekim Sejdiu was willing—and I thank him very much for this—to take on this initiative with only 80 votes, where the absence of a single vote would have brought down the entire project. If we were now to show him that we had surpassed 80 votes, I do not believe he would say: ‘You go to elections, because I am not interested, since you now have more than 80,’” he said.

Kurti added that he could not invite Sejdiu before such a majority had been established, while asking PDK leader Bedri Hamza to make a public commitment.

“I cannot call on him if we do not have such a situation. I ask the PDK and my colleague, Bedri Hamza, to publicly commit that at least half of the PDK parliamentary group will take part. In that case, on our side, the second reading will be completed immediately,” Kurti declared.