Professor Artan Nimani expects today’s meeting between Vetëvendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti and Democratic League of Kosovo chairman Lumir Abdixhiku to produce a positive outcome, including a clear proposal for Kosovo’s new president.

Speaking on the program “Ditari,” Nimani expressed hope that Vetëvendosje and the LDK would agree on a candidate for head of state. However, he said he does not believe the 80 votes needed to elect a male or female candidate can be secured.

According to him, it would be desirable for the participants to leave the meeting feeling optimistic and to put forward a proposal, although he remains skeptical that 80 votes can be secured. Nimani said that if LVV genuinely intended to elect the president, it would have taken a different approach toward the Alliance and PDK. He claimed that the LDK had been chosen as a partner to overcome the crisis with the aim of damaging it even further from within, and for no other reason.

Nimani welcomed the presence of LDK deputy chairman Lutfi Haziri at today’s meeting, describing him as someone well versed in political developments and issues.

He said he was pleased by Haziri’s participation, as he is one of the LDK’s founders and someone who understands these issues well. However, Nimani expressed uncertainty about the atmosphere that would prevail with Vjosa and Albin at the meeting, whom he said had proven over the past five years to be the country’s scourge. The professor hopes the discussions will produce a specific name, noting that several potential candidates have been mentioned, but none of them has shown a willingness to assume the position of head of state.

The meeting between Kurti and Abdixhiku began at around 18:00, with the main topic being the search for a consensus candidate for the new president.

Before the talks began, Kurti said the parties would be transparent about the process, but asked that the discussions remain confidential until an agreement is reached.

Kurti said the public would be openly informed about the process, while the talks must remain confidential until an agreement is reached. He added that he always expects the best outcome and that they were entering today’s meeting in good faith.

In addition to Abdixhiku, former president Vjosa Osmani and LDK deputy chairman Lutfi Haziri are also attending the meeting.

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Professor Muhamet Kelmendi has called on members of the Assembly of Kosovo to begin considering changing the state’s constitutional name from the Republic of Kosovo to the Republic of Dardania as soon as the new legislature is constituted.

According to Kelmendi, this is not merely a formal name change, but an issue concerning history, culture and national identity. He believes the matter should be addressed through an in-depth debate on the country’s historical heritage.

He argues that Dardania is an ancient name supported by historical and archaeological sources. In this regard, he also cites the Oxford Classical Dictionary, which describes the Dardanians as an ancient people who lived in the region of Kosovo and the upper Vardar Valley.

Kelmendi stresses that present-day Kosovo was the central area of Dardania, although the latter extended across a broader territory. He says that archaeological, epigraphic and cultural evidence examined in a study published by the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, as well as research into late antiquity, links the central territory of the province of Dardania with present-day Kosovo.

According to him, studies of the Dardanian Kingdom date its political formation to the 4th century BC and portray it as an important political and military force in the Balkans. For this reason, Kelmendi says the name Dardania is not a modern creation, but a name with deep roots in the history of this region.

The professor also emphasizes that the Dardanians’ relationship with the Illyrian world has been part of a long historiographical tradition and archaeological research. Some contemporary studies consider the Dardanians part of the Illyrian world, while the ethnic continuity between ancient populations and Albanians, according to him, should be analyzed on the basis of scientific arguments rather than slogans.

Kelmendi believes these very elements make a serious national, academic and constitutional discussion on the possibility of restoring the name “Republic of Dardania” essential. He insists that the process should not be rushed, but conducted through institutional, academic and constitutional channels.

In his proposal, he suggests forming a special commission comprising historians, archaeologists, linguists, constitutional lawyers and institutional representatives. According to him, this body should comprehensively examine the issue of the name Dardania and then submit the relevant recommendations to the Assembly.

He says that if history and cultural heritage are considered part of the state’s identity, then they should also be discussed at the highest institutional level. According to Kelmendi, using the name Dardania would connect the present-day state with the documented ancient heritage of this area and with a name that existed thousands of years ago.

However, he clarifies that any such change must fully comply with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. The current Constitution names the state the “Republic of Kosovo,” so changing it would require a constitutional amendment rather than an ordinary decision by the Assembly.

Under Article 144, an amendment may be proposed by the Government, the President or at least one-quarter of the members of the Assembly. It must then be approved by two-thirds of all members, including two-thirds of those holding seats reserved or guaranteed for non-majority communities. The proposal must also undergo prior review by the Constitutional Court.

Kelmendi stresses that his appeal is not intended to prompt a symbolic or rushed step, but the formal launch of a historical, academic and constitutional process. He calls on lawmakers to conduct the debate with dignity, relying on facts, arguments and respect for the Constitution.

In conclusion, the professor tells lawmakers that responsibility for opening this discussion rests with them. He calls for serious consideration of the possibility that the state, through a democratic and constitutional procedure, could restore the ancient name “Republic of Dardania,” while wishing them success in serving the country and its history.

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Feride Rushiti, executive director of the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, has said that her candidacy for president of Kosovo is no longer part of political discussions. She had been nominated by the Vetëvendosje Movement but failed to be elected at the end of April.

Speaking to Gazeta Express, Rushiti said that, following the lack of consensus on her election, she felt “completely at ease” and had once again devoted herself to her work at the organization she founded.

“No. Since that moment when I was a candidate for president, I have been completely at ease and have continued my work at KRCT, just as I stated at the press conference I held at the time,” she said.

Asked whether she would accept another nomination for the presidency, Rushiti said that such a decision would have to be considered by the relevant bodies of the organization she represents. “I am sorry, but this is not being discussed, because it would have to be discussed through the organization’s various bodies. I am simply telling you that this was my last public position, and it remains unchanged,” she said.

Rushiti had agreed in April to enter the presidential race, describing herself as a “unifying figure” who could help foster “dialogue among political parties.”

On April 27, during the session called at LVV’s request to elect the president, which opposition party MPs did not attend, she received 63 votes. When the deadline set by the Constitutional Court for electing the new head of state expired at midnight between April 28 and 29, Rushiti said at a joint press conference with acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti that she would continue her work at KRCT.

“This candidacy was neither an ambition nor an aspiration for power. It was simply a sincere effort and a contribution to my country by a nonpartisan individual, with the aim of providing an opportunity to resolve the political deadlock the country is facing,” she had said.

At the time, she considered her “journey” as a presidential candidate over and expressed hope that the June 6 snap parliamentary elections would bring a solution. “This journey of mine, which effectively continued yesterday with the best possible intention of bringing the country out of the current crisis, ends today with deep reflection and full responsibility toward the country. I hope the elections will bring institutional stability in the future,” she had said.

Meanwhile, Vetëvendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti and Democratic League of Kosovo leader Lumir Abdixhiku have resumed meetings on the issue of the president. The meeting held yesterday was the first since the LDK withdrew from talks on joining a governing coalition with LVV and dropped its demand for the position of head of state.

After discussing the search for a consensual, nonpartisan candidate, Kurti and Abdixhiku said they had considered the profile the next president should have. They announced that they would discuss specific names at their next meeting.

Even after the June 7 parliamentary elections, which were held as a result of the failure to elect a president, the Assembly has still not been constituted. The constituent session, which began on August 6, was adjourned twice in succession at Kurti’s request.

Kurti did not put forward a candidate for speaker of the Assembly, as required by the Constitution, arguing that there was no point in electing the speaker and deputy speakers without a prior agreement on the president. Under a Constitutional Court ruling, the deadline for constituting the Assembly expired at midnight on August 7.

Despite this, Avni Dehari, the chair of the session and the oldest LVV MP in the Assembly, set August 8 as the date for the constituent session to resume. However, he adjourned it again, in the same manner as on the opening day.

LVV has announced that the constituent session will not continue until an agreement on the president has first been reached. A constitutional deadline of 60 days is stipulated for electing the president, and it begins to run only after the Assembly has been constituted.

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Enver Hoxhaj of the PDK said that LVV must nominate a candidate for speaker of parliament so that the Assembly can be constituted, although he described the session as unconstitutional.

“We call on Kurti to nominate his candidate for speaker of parliament so that the Assembly can be constituted,” he said. Hoxhaj stressed that constituting the Assembly is unrelated to forming the government or electing the president.

He called today’s meeting a “session of shame” and accused Kurti of “usurping” power and “suspending all democratic institutions.”

According to Hoxhaj, the entire situation is aimed at sending the country back to elections.

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In its message, the Embassy drew attention to John Hancock, recalling that he was the person who, 250 years ago, was the first to place his name on the Declaration of Independence.

The Embassy stressed that Hancock’s signature continues to represent the courage and determination of the founders of the United States.

“Two hundred and fifty years ago today, John Hancock was the first to sign his name on the Declaration of Independence. And not modestly. It is easy to forget that by signing the Declaration, Hancock was committing an act of treason in the name of liberty. His signature remains a symbol of the courage of America’s founders. Happy Independence Day!” the greeting from the American Embassy said.

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