Kosovo’s newly elected Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has called on the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to cooperate in the Assembly and promptly put forward its candidate for the post of deputy speaker.

According to Kurti, the functioning of institutions must be a priority, and the process must not be delayed because of procedures.

“It is essential that we work and do not waste time with procedures and obstruction,” he said.

While presenting his government program, Kurti also spoke about the process in The Hague, stressing that no court can tarnish the KLA.

The head of government called on the PDK to nominate its candidate for deputy speaker of the Assembly and participate in the work of parliamentary committees.

“I invite the Democratic Party of Kosovo to come forward as soon as possible and nominate its candidate for deputy speaker of the Assembly, so that we can work together with the parliamentary committee,” Kurti said.

He underscored that although the government is led by the Vetëvendosje Movement, the state and the Republic are not the property of the governing authorities alone, but also belong to the opposition forces.

“The government is led by Vetëvendosje, while, on the other hand, the state and the Republic do not belong to the government; they also belong to the opposition, which will be active in the Assembly,” Prime Minister Kurti declared.

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Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Jehona Lushaku-Sadriu has objected to the way the process of electing the deputy speakers of the Assembly of Kosovo was conducted. According to her, the Vetëvendosje Movement is trying to dictate both the procedure and the candidates to the other parliamentary groups.

Following the suspension of the session at which the deputy speakers were scheduled to be voted on, she said that LDK MPs left the chamber after the speaker of the Assembly imposed a voting procedure that, in her view, did not comply with parliamentary rules.

Lushaku-Sadriu said that the LDK had called for the procedure set out by the Constitution, the decisions of the Constitutional Court, the Rules of Procedure and parliamentary practice to be applied. She stressed that the three largest parliamentary groups have the right to nominate one deputy speaker each and that the voting should take place in turn.

“As the LDK, we left the chamber because the speaker imposed a vote and a procedure for electing the deputy speakers that undermined the process. We called for respect for the Constitution, the decisions of the Constitutional Court, the Rules of Procedure and parliamentary practice, according to which the three largest parliamentary groups nominate one deputy speaker each and they are voted on in turn. Since there was an attempt to move from one group to another without a nomination from the second parliamentary group as well, we did not agree with such an action,” she declared.

According to the LDK MP, the situation also arose because of the lack of a political agreement on the voting procedure. She claimed that the largest parliamentary group was trying to impose the candidates for the deputy speaker positions on the others.

Lushaku-Sadriu emphasized that the LDK had accepted Vetëvendosje’s right to nominate Ardian Gola as deputy speaker of the Assembly and called for the same principle to be respected for candidates from the other parliamentary groups.

“This situation arose as a result of Vetëvendosje’s unwillingness to reach a consensus and agree on a common way of voting on the package. Imposing this form of voting led precisely to this outcome. This shows that the largest group is trying to appoint the candidates for the other groups. In order to establish the institutions, Vetëvendosje should have overcome this political position and recognized the parliamentary groups’ right to nominate their own representatives. The LDK recognized Vetëvendosje’s right for Ardian Gola to be deputy speaker, but they did not respect this right regarding the other candidates, which is why the Assembly was not constituted. This is regrettable,” Lushaku-Sadriu added.

Asked whether the LDK would take part in the next session, she said that everything depended on the political will to resolve the situation. However, Lushaku-Sadriu stressed that the procedure had already been violated.

“We are now facing a crisis of political will that must be overcome, and we will see how things develop. It does not matter which group it is or what it is called; the procedure of the Assembly of Kosovo stipulates that the three largest parliamentary groups must nominate the deputy speakers in turn. We voted for the VV candidate for deputy speaker. The LDK has its positions and principles on how the state should be supported and democracy should function, but the largest group is not recognizing them,” she said.

Lushaku-Sadriu added that the issues raised might require clarification from a legal and constitutional perspective.

“All these issues require legal interpretations. As long as there is uncertainty, we will lead the call for constitutional interpretations. These procedures have been clearly clarified in several decisions. There has not previously been such a situation, since the constitution of the Assembly was completed in turn according to the political entities. The LDK will work to ensure that the constitution of the Assembly is completed as soon as possible, but always in compliance with the rules,” she concluded.

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