The Presidency: The new speaker of parliament will assume the duties of president

With the election of the new speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, the duties of acting president will pass to him or her, Kosovo’s Presidency has announced.

The Presidency told Radio Free Europe that Kosovo cannot remain without an acting president. According to the institution, this responsibility will be transferred to the new speaker of parliament, regardless of who is elected, until the president of the Republic is elected.

The eleventh legislature, which emerged from the June elections, has still not been constituted. The constitutive session, which began on August 6, remains unfinished, as the Vetëvendosje Movement is demanding that an agreement first be reached on the election of the president.

Albulena Haxhiu has been serving as acting president since April 4. She assumed the role in her capacity as speaker of the tenth legislature of the Assembly, following the end of Vjosa Osmani’s five-year term as head of state.

Kosovo’s Constitution stipulates that the duties of acting president may be held for no longer than six months. For Haxhiu, this period ends on October 4.

The Presidency has not ruled out the possibility of asking the Constitutional Court for an interpretation if the Assembly does not elect a new president by October 4. The institution said that at this stage it cannot be prejudged whether such a procedure will become necessary.

Nevertheless, the Presidency believes that, for the time being, priority should be given to the election of a president with a full mandate.

At the beginning of this week, the Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo agreed on the issue of the president. The two parties proposed Bekim Sejdiu, a former Constitutional Court judge, for the post.

The agreement did not receive the support of six LDK deputies the following day, casting doubt on the possibility of electing the country’s new head of state through this agreement.

Kurti: Agreement on president remains in force despite opposition from 6 LDK deputies

The leader of the VVM and Kosovo’s acting prime minister, Albin Kurti, said after this development that efforts to elect the president would continue. He said that at this point Sejdiu has 74 votes.

At least 80 deputies must be present to take part in the vote for president, while Kosovo’s Assembly consists of a total of 120 deputies.

In the first two rounds of voting, the candidate must secure 80 votes. In the third round, 61 votes are sufficient, but at least 80 deputies must be present in the chamber.

If the president is not elected in the third round either, the Assembly is dissolved in accordance with the Constitution and new elections must be held within 45 days. / RFE/RL