Kusari-Lila after Sejdiu’s withdrawal: Without an agreement on the president, Kosovo could head to elections again

Alternativa leader Mimoza Kusari-Lila has reacted following Bekim Sejdiu’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for president of the Republic of Kosovo. She described the development as evidence of the deep divisions and the dire state of the country’s political system.

The Vetëvendosje MP, whose party is part of a pre-election coalition with VV, wrote on Facebook that Sejdiu had been proposed by the Democratic League of Kosovo and received the support of the Vetëvendosje Movement coalition. According to her, the lack of consensus has seriously undermined the process.

“Prof. Bekim Sejdiu’s withdrawal from the presidential race, after being proposed by the Democratic League of Kosovo and supported by the Vetëvendosje Movement coalition, once again demonstrates the vast divide and the wounded political system in our country,” Kusari-Lila wrote.

She said that the inability to overcome political clashes, even when the functioning of the state is at risk, demonstrates a pronounced lack of political maturity and stability.

Kusari-Lila said that the consequences of this approach are not limited to political parties, as citizens and the state of Kosovo itself also bear the cost.

According to her, the agreement on Sejdiu’s candidacy was not about a personal position or party interests, but about preserving institutional stability and respecting the office of the president.

“The agreement on Prof. Bekim Sejdiu was not an agreement over a personal position. It concerned a state office. It was not about party gain, but about institutional stability and the dignity of the office of the President of the Republic,” she said.

The Alternativa leader also emphasized that Sejdiu had academic experience, personal and professional integrity, as well as the willingness to assume this responsibility at a sensitive time for the country.

She said his withdrawal, which came after the prospects of reaching an agreement had diminished, should be viewed more as a loss and a setback for the state than as a triumph by one political group over another.

“With this withdrawal, we have all lost. And if an agreement on the president is not reached, the country is rapidly at risk of returning to elections once again,” Kusari-Lila said.

“Kosovo,” she added, “does not need one party to defeat another, but for the state to rise above political spite.”

In conclusion, Kusari-Lila thanked Sejdiu for his willingness to serve the country at a difficult time. She wished him success in his professional, academic and personal endeavors.

Bekim Sejdiu announced that he was withdrawing from the race for president of the Republic of Kosovo because of a lack of the necessary support in the Assembly and after the process had become entangled in internal political clashes.