The Crisis in Parliament Remains Unresolved as Political Dialogue Focuses on the Election of the President

The institutional crisis remains unresolved, while Acting President Albulena Haxhiu has called on the parties to engage in dialogue to find a way out of the situation. She said the talks should begin with the election of the head of state. Meanwhile, the PDK and the Alliance are calling for the constitutive session to continue, but Parliament says it has received no official notification that it will be held. Avni Dehari insists that the session will not be called until a political agreement is reached on the president.

Albulena Haxhiu expressed regret after the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Alliance declined an invitation to a consultative meeting with the leaders of parliamentary political entities.

According to Kosovo’s acting president, the meeting was intended to achieve the political consensus needed to overcome the institutional deadlock. She described the refusal as a wrong and ill-considered step, as well as evidence of a lack of willingness to move away from what she called “barricade-like positions.” Haxhiu stressed that such stances serve no one, and least of all the Republic.

Haxhiu believes that three electoral processes, which produced broadly similar results, show that the institutional crisis cannot be resolved without political dialogue. Although, formally, the election of the president constitutes the third step, she said that under the current circumstances, this issue should be placed first on the discussion table.

She recalled that during the winter and spring of this year, there had been requests and appeals for the parties to hold talks in advance, before any institutions were constituted and regardless of the outcome. According to Haxhiu, the moment, opportunity and necessity to implement this now exist. She called for the discussions not to begin with what could be achieved easily, but with the issue that, in her view, is continually taking the country to elections: the question of the president.

During the morning, the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Party of Kosovo appeared at Parliament after earlier asking Avni Dehari, the chair of the constitutive session, to call for its continuation. Alliance lawmakers were also seen on the premises of Parliament.

Arian Tahiri, head of the PDK Parliamentary Group, said that the blockade in the Assembly of Kosovo could no longer be treated merely as a “political crisis.” According to him, it is now a matter of protecting the constitutional order, the institutions and the Republic itself.

Besnik Tahiri, who leads the AAK Parliamentary Group, meanwhile said that the door to the chamber where plenary sessions are held was being deliberately kept closed.

In a notice, the Parliament Administration clarified that it had received no official communication regarding the organization and holding of a session on 16 August.

The clarification emphasized that the absence of a notice did not constitute a political decision or a position on initiatives by lawmakers or parliamentary groups.

The Administration said that as soon as official communication regarding the holding of a session was received, the appropriate steps would be taken and administrative, technical and logistical support would be provided within the scope of its authority.

PDK and Alliance lawmakers are requesting for the third time that the constitutive session continue. However, Avni Dehari has reiterated that he will not call for its continuation until there is a political agreement on the head of state.

Albulena Haxhiu has announced that she will receive the political parties at a meeting on Wednesday to discuss precisely this issue.