Shala or Bajrami? – Two scenarios for LDK leadership, analysts warn crisis will deepen

A possible race for the future leadership of the Democratic League of Kosovo is being accompanied by stances and proposals that have opened a debate on the party’s future direction. Avdullah Hoti has proposed that Kujtim Shala run for chairman of the LDK, while Hykmete Bajrami be the list bearer and candidate for prime minister.

However, Hykmete Bajrami has announced that she will be one of the candidates for chairperson if the electoral process within the LDK is conducted in an open and fair manner. This has prompted discussions that two leadership alternatives may be taking shape in the party: one where Shala takes the helm and Bajrami aims for the prime minister’s post, and another where Bajrami herself enters the race for chairperson.

Even though the race is expected to become clearer in the run-up to the LDK’s internal elections, which are expected to be held in 2027, political experts see this situation as a sign of a broader crisis within the party.

The questions that arise relate to the possible clash of two visions for the future of the LDK, the transformation of individual ambitions into internal conflict, and the risk that this confrontation may deepen the weakening of a party that was once among the main political forces in Kosovo.

Dajaku: LDK is weakening from within, factions, egoism and servility are pushing it towards extinction

Xhevat Dajaku told “Bota sot” that the LDK’s difficulties have not emerged only recently and are not exclusively linked to the upcoming race for chairman. According to him, the party has been damaged by a long process of internal weakening, while people with unclear profiles have also joined its ranks, who, according to him, have not helped strengthen the party.

“The LDK is in collapse mainly because of the inclusion of elements with unclear profiles, perhaps even with certain goals and often with an anti-LDK past. Any party or organization can be strengthened or weakened from within. Unfortunately, the LDK is ‘crumbling’ from within because of people who so far have not contributed much to this party. This process has also involved old activists, who have started cooperating and filtering with anti-LDK opponents, leading us to the current situation.”

Dajaku also referred to Avdullah Hoti, linking his previous political engagement with another party and expressing reservations about the proposal he has made for the LDK’s future.

“One such case is Mr. Hoti, who came from Bujar Bukoshi’s PREK. It is known that PREK was one of the organizations that aimed to weaken the LDK and take its electorate. Mr. Hoti was also in that party. For this reason, his demand does not seem to be coordinated even with the group that openly came out against chairman Abdixhiku. It rather resembles an act of stubbornness, disobedience, sidelining, and attack on the party, carried out with premeditation and a specific goal.”

Speaking about the proposal that Kujtim Shala become chairman and about Hykmete Bajrami’s statement that she will run for this post if the process is open and fair, Dajaku assesses that these stances may bring division and uncertainty to the LDK.

“On one hand, it is demanded that Shala be elected chairman, while on the other hand, Bajrami aims to lead the LDK herself. This naturally raises the question whether the aim is to create division, cause confusion, and tarnish the great name that the LDK once had, to the point where it can no longer be considered the party it used to be.”

According to Dajaku, the lack of meritocracy, the strengthening of factions, and the dominance of personal interests are among the main problems that could lead the LDK to an existential crisis.

“I do not know how the processes will proceed from here, but one thing is certain: the lack of meritocracy, factions, egoism, and servility make me fear that the LDK is heading towards extinction. This is especially painful for a party that was once incomparable in the Balkans and for decades was among the main pillars of Albanian political and national life.”

Kapiti: LDK expected to fall even further, “Rugovism” is not enough to save the party

Publicist Skënder Kapiti expresses an even harsher stance on the state the LDK is in. He says that, after the death of Ibrahim Rugova, this party has not managed to create a new political vision and that over time it has continuously lost influence on the political scene.

“I have been consistently critical of how the LDK has behaved politically. After Rugova, it has built no vision, alternative, or perspective and, rightly, has sunk lower and lower. I had hoped that the agreement between it and LVV for the election of the President of Kosovo would bring a turnaround and restore hope to the old and new members of the LDK. This would have been the party’s greatest political achievement after Rugova.”

In a statement for “Bota sot”, Kapiti said that developments regarding the agreement on the president and the stance of the six LDK MPs, according to him, have highlighted the dimensions of the party’s internal problems.

“The lack of courage, insincerity, and irresponsibility of the putschist MPs, namely the six MPs who sabotaged the agreement, proved that the LDK is a conglomerate or amalgam of servile individuals, but also arrogant and unscrupulous interest-seekers. Today the LDK has neither an alternative nor a vision. It has a corruptive political short-sightedness, which as an organization has produced only crises, damaging not only itself but also the state of Kosovo.”

Kapiti emphasizes that a simple change in leadership composition would not be enough to change the party’s course. According to him, a new political alternative is needed and a break from the elite that he labels as irresponsible.

“The future of the LDK cannot come from this ‘spider web’ of its irresponsible political elite. This evil elite has no interest in Kosovo, but only in the MP mandate and in political and corruptive agreements. The best solution for healing and rescuing the membership from the hostage-taking by this elite is to abandon its LDK and unite or create a real political alternative, right-wing and patriotic, which Kosovo has lacked and continues to lack.”

The publicist warns that the LDK will continue to lose support if it does not adapt to the expectations of younger generations and if it relies only on its historical legacy.

“The LDK will inevitably sink even lower, because the new Albanian generation sees the present and the reality and does not stand with their mind turned back to what Rugova once did. Not even the deceptive speculators who speak of Rugovism can save the LDK. The past can be recorded in history, but it cannot solve or save the present of this party. This is only a utopia,” Skënder Kapiti concluded for “Bota sot”.