No deadline for LDK assembly against Abdixhiku, Haziri seen as solution for party leadership

The fate of the leadership in the Democratic League of Kosovo is expected to be decided at an extraordinary Assembly, but it has not yet been communicated when this weighty meeting for the party and the political spectrum will convene. Following the move by delegates who gathered the necessary signatures to call the Assembly, debates over the future direction have flared within the ranks of the LDK.

KosovaPress sought clarifications from the LDK hierarchy regarding the timing of the Assembly’s convening and the next steps, but at least five senior officials have refused to respond.

Nevertheless, voices calling for a rethinking of the direction following the June 7 election result are not ceasing their echoes.

Shqipe Pantina, a delegate to the LDK Assembly, tells KosovaPress that the party needs a new leadership and a different political line in order to return as the leading force in the country.

According to her, the need for this Assembly arose precisely from the failure of the current chairman, Lumir Abdixhiku, to reflect and take responsibility for the consequences of the recent vote.

Pantina: The party needs a change at the top

“Whatever decision is taken, I am convinced it must be respected by all levels of the LDK. I think the League needs another leadership and strategy to become a governing party again… If this is not the moment, then when would it be? This moment stems from the last elections, just like in December when we had a similar situation and Mr. Abdixhiku resigned. But now, what pushed delegates to sign was the fact that Mr. Abdixhiku showed no readiness to reflect and did not take responsibility for the poor result,” she said.

Meanwhile, Niq Krasniqi, a former parliamentary candidate from the diaspora, stresses that the submission of signatures statutorily obliges the holding of the Assembly.

He has called for the process to be guided by a spirit of cooperation, stressing that the meeting must necessarily produce a solution for the leadership, either by giving support again to Abdixhiku or by bringing a new name to the helm.

Krasniqi: Assembly must convene without delay, dialogue must prevail

“The very act of signing and depositing them according to the LDK rules makes the Assembly unavoidable. This is the will of the members and voters they represent. Now an epilogue is needed and the Assembly must be held… The culture of dialogue must be the pillar of this Assembly. As for the final solution, this assembly must not close without appointing a chairman, whether this is a renewed vote of confidence for Abdixhiku or the election of a new leader,” Krasniqi stressed.

Those opposing Abdixhiku’s staying in office are suggesting other alternatives. Shqipe Pantina singled out deputy chairman Lutfi Haziri, whom she considers the right figure to lead the LDK in this stage and to unite the fragmented structures of the party.

Pantina: Haziri could lead the LDK in this phase

“In the LDK there are personalities who can take the lead and unify the fragmented groups, working as a team… In our current conditions, Lutfi Haziri would be the suitable choice to lead until the next elections, and then the race should be open,” she emphasized.

The request for a reassessment of confidence in LDK chairman Lumir Abdixhiku came as a result of dissatisfaction within the party over the poor result in the June 7 elections.

Before this procedural step, some voices within the League had sought Abdixhiku’s voluntary departure, but he rejected this option, calling it unacceptable and inviting the two initiators of this movement, Gazmend Muhaxheri and Imri Ahmeti, to leave the LDK.

In the latest vote, the Democratic League received 16.69 percent of the votes, translating to 18 seats in the Assembly.

According to the party’s internal rules, the signatures of a third of the delegates do not cause the immediate dismissal of the chairman, but oblige the start of the procedure for reviewing confidence in him.

The LDK Assembly consists of a total of 355 delegates, elected from votes in local branches, including the current chairman himself, Lumir Abdixhiku.

We recall that in January of this year, he managed to survive a similar confidence vote process, which was called after the disappointing result in the December 28 elections, when the LDK fell to around 13.5 percent of national support.