Rrustemi: The country needs a president and stability, not new elections

Adnan Rrustemi, a member of parliament from the Vetëvendosje Movement, has called on representatives of the Democratic Party of Kosovo to attend the session at which the president is expected to be elected. Kosovo does not need early elections, he said, but rather the consolidation of its institutions.

Rrustemi said that, following Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s latest proposal, he hoped PDK members of parliament would reconsider their position and attend the session, first to pass the Law on Specialist Chambers and then to vote for the country’s new head of state.

“We expect PDK members of parliament to reflect and come to the session so that we can pass the law and then elect the president, with a prior commitment from their parliamentary group to take part in the vote to elect the president of the Republic,” Rrustemi told RTK.

He stressed that citizens are not interested in elections and that lawmakers have a constitutional and political responsibility to serve the public interest.

“Kosovo does not need elections. It needs a president and institutional stability so it can face the Specialist Chambers and other challenges,” he said.

Asked about criticism from PDK leader Bedri Hamza, who called Kurti’s presentation of possible candidates for the presidency unserious, Rrustemi replied that Vetëvendosje had invited Hamza to meetings to discuss precisely this issue.

“We were interested and invited Mr. Hamza to meetings to discuss this, but he refused. We were interested in reaching an agreement on the president and, alongside that, on the law, but he refused to discuss the presidency,” Rrustemi said.

According to him, the Vetëvendosje Movement has taken several concrete steps in response to PDK’s request regarding the Law on Specialist Chambers, including submitting it and passing it on first reading. He added that his party is ready to vote for it on second reading as well.

Rrustemi also criticized PDK, questioning whether the party had ever taken the draft law on the Specialist Chambers seriously.

“I have the impression that Mr. Hamza is exposing the truth about PDK’s entire political position: that it has never taken the draft law on the Specialist Chambers seriously,” he said.

Rrustemi added that Vetëvendosje had remained open throughout the week to talks with PDK on the presidency, while rejecting the condition that an agreement on the head of state be reached only after the draft law passes its second reading.