The Vetëvendosje Movement has expressed regret over Professor Bekim Sejdiu’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for president of the Republic of Kosovo. According to VV, Sejdiu was the joint candidate resulting from the political agreement between it and the Democratic League of Kosovo.

In a reaction posted on Facebook, VV blamed some LDK lawmakers, as well as the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Alliance, for preventing the presidential election process from moving forward. According to the party, after several months of dialogue and compromises, an agreement was reached and the candidacy was determined, but when it was supposed to be put to a vote in the Assembly, the process was blocked.

The party assessed that the opposition of some LDK lawmakers to the candidacy, which had also been approved by their own political entity, as well as the decision by the PDK and the Alliance not to participate in the process, created the circumstances that made it impossible to elect the president in the Assembly.

VV stressed that non-participation in a vote, when used to obstruct the process, does not simply constitute a political stance toward a candidate, but rather a blockage of the constitutional procedure itself and a risk of elections being held again.

According to the reaction, the political agreement had created an opportunity for Kosovo to avoid a new period of institutional uncertainty and for the presidential issue to be concluded in the Assembly. However, after it was reached, the agreement was opposed and obstructed.

The Vetëvendosje Movement said it stood by the agreement and the joint candidate to the end. It thanked Bekim Sejdiu for his willingness to serve the Republic and for the dignity he demonstrated throughout this process.

“For months, dialogue, compromise and an agreement were sought. Dialogue took place, a compromise was reached, the agreement was finalized and a joint candidate was found. When the time came for the Assembly to vote on the agreement, efforts to obstruct it began,” VV said in its reaction.

The party added that Kosovo had the agreement and the joint candidate, as well as the opportunity for the president to be elected in the Assembly, but the process was blocked once again. Under these circumstances, Bekim Sejdiu decided to withdraw from the race.

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Avni Islami, a professor of security sciences, has warned of threats related to espionage and national security, calling on Kosovo’s institutions not to tolerate any element that harms the state’s interests.

In a post, Islami referred to the case of Vladan Kostiq, whom he said publicly displays admiration for war criminals. He also raised the alarm over what he described as efforts to turn the OSCE into “a nest of Russian and Serbian agents.”

In his assessment, there are attempts to use international missions as a shield for carrying out destabilizing agendas.

Islami praised the engagement of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, the Kosovo Police and the Special Prosecution in confronting espionage.

“The past two years have demonstrated that the joint success of the KIA, the Police and the Special Prosecution is not accidental, but the result of an ironclad strategy to purge the country of subversive elements,” he wrote.

According to the professor of security sciences, Kosovo’s territory must not be used as a refuge by hostile espionage networks or by individuals who, as he puts it, work against the interests of the state.

Declaring that “the era of impunity is over,” Islami called for every informant, agent or collaborator of foreign secret services to be identified and brought to justice.

“Every informant, agent or collaborator of theirs will be exposed, arrested and receive the punishment they deserve,” Islami wrote.

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The conversation between Albin Kurti, leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, and LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku about the criteria and profile of Kosovo’s next president has revived discussions about the possibility of a political agreement between the two parties.

The development comes at a time when the country is facing an institutional deadlock. The fact that the two leaders have also considered discussing specific names at future meetings is seen as a signal that room for compromise may be created.

However, it remains unclear whether this is merely a consultation procedure or whether LVV and LDK are trying to build a concrete agreement.

Regarding these developments, Bota sot sought an assessment from Professor Nijazi Halili.

Halili considers the Kurti–Abdixhiku meeting important from a political perspective, particularly because of the institutional situation in which Kosovo finds itself.

According to him, moving the discussion from general principles to the criteria and profile of the next president, as well as the announcement that specific names would be considered, shows that communication between the parties has gone beyond the formal level.

The professor said the meeting should be viewed as a development of political significance, rather than an ordinary procedural contact. He assessed that the discussion about the president’s criteria and profile, together with the possibility of considering names at future meetings, indicates that dialogue between the two entities has entered a more concrete phase.

However, he stressed that it is still too early to speak of a finalized political agreement between LVV and LDK.

According to Halili, the decisive moment will be confronting the issue of a specific candidate and securing the necessary votes in the Assembly.

He emphasized that the meeting represents a positive signal and a step toward compromise, but cannot yet be considered a consolidated agreement. The real agreement, he said, will be tested only when the parties agree on a name and secure parliamentary support.

Halili believes that a consensus candidate is possible, but achieving this depends on the willingness of both parties to place institutional interests above party interests.

As an element that could help achieve a compromise, the professor also mentioned the LDK’s position that the president should not be a figure linked solely to one party, but rather a person with broader respect and the ability to represent political unity.

He said that Lumir Abdixhiku’s public statements, according to which LDK is not seeking a party-affiliated president but a respected figure who represents political unity, could serve as a basis for an agreement.

But what qualities should Kosovo’s next president possess?

According to the professor, the candidate should have integrity, public authority, a clear Euro-Atlantic orientation and respect for the Constitution. Above all, they must be able to represent the unity of citizens, rather than the interests of just one political entity.

Halili added that the debate should not focus solely on the party that will nominate the president, but on the candidate who can earn broader institutional and social trust.

In this context, a possible agreement between LVV and LDK could help overcome the institutional deadlock if the parties manage to agree on a candidate and secure the necessary votes in the Assembly.

But if the talks do not go beyond defining criteria and fail to produce agreement on a specific name, they could remain merely declarative and yield no practical result.

The professor assessed that current developments create an important opportunity for political compromise, but the final outcome will depend on the willingness of Albin Kurti and Lumir Abdixhiku to take the decisive step.

Halili concluded that Kosovo needs normal institutional functioning and can no longer prolong the political crisis. If the parties make the final compromise, the situation could serve as a starting point for overcoming the deadlock; otherwise, it risks becoming yet another unsuccessful political attempt.

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