Thaci today delivers year-end speech in Parliament, but opposition boycotts

Opposition parties have decided not to participate in today's session of the Kosovo Assembly, at which President Thaci will deliver his annual speech. According to opposition lawmakers, first state does not play a role of unity

The president of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, is expected today to address only MPs in office with his annual speech to the Kosovo Parliament, as the session will be boycotted by the opposition.

According to opposition deputies, the first state does not play the role of unity and has rather served a certain political subject (PDK). “Hashim Thaci is not a unity leader, since during his mandate as president has defended the interests of PDK rather than the state. So it's not worth listening to his” speech, said “Zerin” Movement deputy “Determination” Albanian Pantina, adding that as a parliamentary group, they have not yet discussed whether they will attend the Assembly session when the president gives the speech, but, as she says, he will personally boycott the speech.

The head of the LDK Parliamentary Group, Avdullah Hoti, has told “Zerin” that the LDK has not yet decided whether to participate in President Thaci's speech today, has it? Our “Our performance on whether we will participate in the president's speech you will know on Friday”, Hoti said.

Even the chief of the LDK deputies says Thaci has not played the role of unity as his post and the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo requires. But sources of the newspaper “Voice” announce that the LDK Parliamentary Group has decided yesterday that it will not participate in the session during the time President Thaci gives the speech.

Kadrij: The president was impartial

As the opposition criticises the work of the state president, MPs from the ruling coalition think otherwise.

MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Time Kadrijaj, has praised the president's work during 2017. She also announced that she and her party will be present in the Assembly today, where Thaci will deliver the speech. I think that during this period, especially this last period has been active in carrying out tasks that are described as president in lobby, whether of recognition or of membership in various organisations. I think she's done the job properly for a president”, she said.

On the other hand, Artan Murati, from the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI), has said President Thaci during the election campaign and during the government's establishment showed partiality to the PAN coalition. President Thaci's “Work for 2017, except that we had this institutional vacuum and government creation, we also had political bias tendencies. We know there were meetings, for example. with coalition leaders PAN, but not with leaders of other subjects.