PDK and the Alliance: Postponement of the constitutive session violates the Constitution

MPs from the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Alliance once again appeared in the Assembly’s plenary chamber, where they sharply criticized the Vetëvendosje Movement for postponing the constitutive session, describing the move as unconstitutional.

PDK leader Bedri Hamza said the postponement of the session violates the deadlines and obligations arising from the constitutional order, as well as the deadline previously interpreted by the Vetëvendosje Movement.

He stressed that the Assembly cannot remain deadlocked until a political party has completed its political calculations.

Hamza warned that the PDK would not allow constitutional violations to become the norm or court decisions to depend on political will.

“The Democratic Party of Kosovo will not accept the continued violation of the Constitution or allow it to become established practice. Nor will we accept court decisions being treated as a matter of political will, or a prime minister, whoever that may be, deciding which institution should function and which should not. Democracy is not destroyed in a single day, but is eroded step by step. Today, a deadline is not respected; tomorrow, a decision is not implemented; the day after tomorrow, the courts are disregarded; and then an institution is blocked. In the end, citizens are told that everything is normal. This is not normal, and we will not accept it as such,” Hamza said.

According to the PDK leader, the situation that has arisen should not be accepted as normal. He said the party would use all democratic and institutional mechanisms at its disposal.

Hamza added that Kosovo must be governed on the basis of the Constitution and the law, announcing a new phase of action for the PDK.

“The Democratic Party of Kosovo’s position is firm: Kosovo will be governed in accordance with the Constitution and the law. Therefore, a new phase begins today, in which the PDK will not limit itself solely to demands for respect for the rule of law. We will act with maturity and responsibility, using all the democratic and institutional means available to us under the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo,” Hamza said.

Alliance MP Burim Ramadani also accused the Vetëvendosje Movement of violating the Constitution, dividing the violations into three areas.

Ramadani cited the violation of the spirit of the Constitution, the failure to implement the Constitutional Court’s interpretations and decisions, and the failure to fulfill national, moral and state obligations to ensure that Kosovo’s institutions function.

He described the political situation as a serious blow to democracy.

“It is clear that Dehari, as the presiding member by virtue of his age, has acted during this period as part of Vetëvendosje, in terms of his attributes. This person, namely Kurti, without consulting anyone, not even Vetëvendosje, has continued to brutally violate the Constitution and our constitutional order. Chaos and institutional instability are among the main consequences of this failure. Unfortunately, Vetëvendosje MPs, or more precisely some of them, based on what Vetëvendosje has displayed, are continuously violating the Constitution and the constitutional order. This constitutes a major blow to democracy. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, together with the other opposition parties and every citizen who loves Kosovo and our state, will work to defend democracy, the Constitution and the state,” Ramadani said.

Ramadani described the situation as a “blow to the heart of the Constitution.”

Avni Dehari, who is presiding over the constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly, announced on September 5 that the session would resume on September 9 at 11:00.