Talks between LVV and LDK on president suspended

Following Bekim Sejdiu’s withdrawal from the race for head of state, the Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo have decided to suspend discussions on the presidency. Neither party expects any meetings in the coming days.

The Democratic League, which holds 18 seats in Kosovo’s Parliament, sees no reason to sit down with the governing party on this issue before the Constitutional Court delivers its ruling on the legality of the formation of the 11th legislature.

Lutfi Haziri, LDK deputy leader, said unequivocally in comments to Radio Free Europe on September 15 that no meeting would take place without a decision from the Constitutional Court.

Sources within the Vetëvendosje Movement also confirmed the suspension of the negotiations, saying that no meeting with LDK representatives had been scheduled during this week.

One day earlier, on September 14, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the largest opposition force, referred the procedure for constituting the Assembly to the Constitutional Court, also requesting the imposition of an interim measure.

According to the PDK’s complaint, submitted on Monday, the authorities violated constitutional provisions concerning the manner in which the Assembly’s presiding officers are elected. They claim that the deadlines set for establishing the legislative institution were not respected.

Specifically, they argue that LVV failed to meet the constitutionally mandated 30-day deadline for establishing the Assembly, as well as the rule requiring a session to be convened every two days until that goal was achieved.

On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court gave no response to Radio Free Europe’s questions about whether it had accepted the PDK’s request for review and whether an interim measure was expected.

The agreement reached on August 31 between LVV and LDK to nominate Bekim Sejdiu as a presidential candidate failed on September 14. Sejdiu himself announced his withdrawal from the process because he was unable to secure the necessary votes.

Six LDK lawmakers opposed supporting Sejdiu, who, as Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced, had the backing of only 74 deputies. Parliamentary rules require the presence of at least 80 deputies at a session for the voting process to be valid.

In a statement on Facebook, Sejdiu explained that the new circumstances, defined by a lack of parliamentary support and the process’s diversion into internal political conflicts, had led him to decide to withdraw from the race for head of state.

With Sejdiu’s withdrawal, the political parties must negotiate a new agreement on another candidate. If Parliament fails to elect a president, the country will face new elections, the fourth in the span of two years.

Nevertheless, analyst Dritëro Arifi believes that continuing the talks between LVV and LDK is not appropriate at the moment, precisely because the legitimacy of the Assembly that is supposed to elect the president is being contested.

He warned Radio Free Europe that if the process returns to the starting point, all negotiations held so far would have been in vain.

However, if the Constitutional Court confirms that the Assembly’s formation was in accordance with the law, Arifi believes that an agreement on the president could be reached quickly if the parties show willingness. According to him, everything could be concluded within an hour if the ruling is favorable.

LVV and LDK, the only party that agreed to engage in dialogue with the election winner on this issue, have not disclosed the names of other candidates discussed during the negotiations before they agreed on Sejdiu.

According to Arifi, in the current situation, whenever the talks resume, the most appropriate alternative would be to propose an LDK lawmaker who enjoys broad support, both within the party and from LVV, in order to complete the establishment of Kosovo’s new institutions.

The 60-day legal deadline for electing the president began on September 13, the date on which the Assembly declared its formation complete, while Albulena Haxhiu’s mandate as acting president ends on October 4. / RFE