The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is expected to hold its Extraordinary Assembly on Thursday, at a crucial moment for the future of the political party.
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Ahead of the assembly, political activist Milazim Maraj spoke to “Bota sot,” assessing that the difficult situation within the LDK is the result of processes that have accumulated over the years.
According to Maraj, a person of integrity and vision who embodies the spirit of former President Ibrahim Rugova’s political legacy should be elected to lead the party.
He said that one figure came in “through a form of smuggling” and caused damage to a party that enjoyed trust and a strong reputation not only in Kosovo, but also internationally, particularly in the United States, England and throughout the EU. Maraj emphasized that the foresight of the President and the LDK led Kosovo out of a century-long quagmire of subjugation and transformed it into a democratic partner, a development that, according to him, had been foreseen neither by the greatest Albanian optimists nor by the greatest anti-Albanian pessimists.
Maraj said that after this trust had been established, a group of communists arrived who not only failed to strengthen the party, but also drove away from both the party and Kosovo the figures who had made the greatest contributions, even through violence. According to him, with the arrival of “this communist,” the LDK was severely affected by a communist infection whose consequences it continues to suffer today. He described the clashes between Isa Mustafa’s supporters and opponents as metastases, saying that they are harming not only the LDK but Kosovo as a whole. According to Maraj, it is precisely this incomprehensible cycle that has caused the party’s successive defeats in local and national elections.
He also emphasized that the groups aligned for and against Isa Mustafa are not offering a way out of the crisis within the LDK because, according to him, they are driven by resentment and narrow interests.
Maraj said that the factions identifying themselves as supporters or opponents of Isa Mustafa and his anti-national policy are no different from one another. According to him, neither has presented a clear alternative for overcoming a situation that is both shameful and painful for the LDK, which he described as Kosovo’s state-building party and the party that rehabilitated the country’s national politics, both domestically and abroad.
He added that everyone claims to love the LDK, but the way they express this is unacceptable to the rest of the party leadership, and even less so to the broader electorate, because it is influenced by grudges and petty interests. According to Maraj, the current statements by each side do not demonstrate that there is any viable alternative to choose from.
In his assessment, membership in a political party implies patriotism and a willingness to give everything one has to the state through that party.
Speaking about the LDK Assembly, Maraj said it was convened far too late, while Isa Mustafa’s influence continues to remain strong. Nevertheless, he hopes that new alternatives for the party may emerge from this process.
According to him, although the Assembly was convened after a considerable delay, the fact that it is finally being held is a positive development. Maraj blamed the delay on all the extreme factions that, according to him, were created within the LDK without any need. He assessed that Dr. Lumir Abdixhiku’s new path produced no positive results because it was a dead end within a political philosophy whose vision spans at least a century.
Maraj said that Isa Mustafa’s negative influence within the party remains quite significant and may also be felt during this assembly. At the same time, he assessed that the younger generation has not yet attained the political maturity necessary to earn credibility among the electorate, which, according to him, is linked to how internal party elections are conducted, beginning at the grassroots level. He added that the LDK’s youth have so far appeared indecisive and insufficiently prepared to assume the necessary responsibilities.
Despite this, Maraj emphasized that holding the Assembly is more beneficial than postponing it any further. He expressed the possibility that new options benefiting the country could emerge from the meeting amid a highly complicated situation that offers little hope of overcoming conditions harmful to both the LDK and Kosovo.
Regarding the party’s future leadership, Maraj assessed that the person elected should enjoy democratic legitimacy, possess vision and integrity, and follow the political spirit of Ibrahim Rugova in order to restore trust within the LDK and among the public.
He said that regardless of whether Lumir Abdixhiku remains at the helm or another candidate takes over, the leader must emerge from democratic elections rather than by acclamation. Only in this way, according to him, will the chairperson have the authority conferred by the vote to lead the LDK and subsequently contribute to the formation of Kosovo’s institutions.
Maraj assessed that the LDK has enough intellectual figures capable of leading it, but that, in the name of preserving party unity, they avoid confronting one another in debates or fall victim to petty interests. According to him, the next male or female chairperson should be a worthy disciple of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, without becoming involved in personal or group interests. As he emphasized, this person should have vision, communication skills, courage and restraint in statements and actions, as well as the ability to build trust domestically and among the international community.
Concluding his remarks to “Bota sot,” Maraj said that the LDK’s leader should have an unblemished record and should find happiness among happy citizens. According to him, he or she should envision the nation integrated into the EU and the world, as a people with a secure future that helps build peace without losing territory or population, while respecting everyone and defending its own national values.
