Sadiku criticizes changes at the Presidency, institution denies removing symbols

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) lawmaker Ermal Sadiku criticized changes he observed at the Presidency. According to him, Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence is no longer where it had been displayed, while the photograph of historic president Ibrahim Rugova has been moved to the side.

Sadiku spoke at a news conference after leaving a meeting of the Economy Committee. He walked out to protest the removal from the agenda of a report by members of the Kosovo Competition Authority Commission.

He called the changes at the Presidency unnecessary and urged President Justina Shiroka Pula to reconsider and restore the previous arrangement. Sadiku said there should be protocols governing such matters.

Emphasizing Ibrahim Rugova’s historical significance, Sadiku said he could not be regarded merely as a former president or former LDK leader. To Sadiku, Rugova remains an unsurpassed historical figure for the present and the future. He added that what matters is not only the photograph, but also what Rugova represents to past generations and should represent to future ones.

The Kosovo Presidency, meanwhile, denied claims that Rugova’s photograph and the Declaration of Independence had been removed from its premises. In a statement to the media, it said nothing had been removed from the Presidency’s office and that both remain there.

The Presidency’s response followed criticism from LDK representatives over the alleged removal of the symbols. Earlier, party leader Lumir Abdixhiku had asked the president to reconsider the decision and return them to their places, stressing the historical and national significance of former president Rugova and the Declaration of Independence. The Presidency maintains that neither has been removed from the institution.