Who can form Government?

The CEC is expected to formalise the results of the June 11th elections. Neither political parties can form the government alone. Political subjects speak of possible coalitions and represent red lines.

Coalition of political parties (PAN) in whose composition are The PDK-AAK and the Initiative, which won the June 11th snap general elections, are open to coalition with all the rival bloc's political parties -- the LDK and Vetevendosje -- for forming the government. However, the latter have voiced opposition to the coalition with the PAN bloc, more precisely against the coalition with the PDK.

Haradinaj (no) has numbers

In the June 11th elections, neither party won sufficient mandates in the assembly to form the government alone. The nominated for prime minister of the winning PAN coalition, Ramush Haradinaj, coming from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, constantly repeats that he has numbers to form the government, though he prefers a broad coalition government. Alliance for the Future of Kosovo's Headship member, Pal Lekaj, says coalition PAN, can make government within a month.

“Ramush Haradinaj has the numbers for forming the new government, but still we extend the invitation for the coalition to the Democratic League of Kosovo as well. If the LDK but the Vetevendosje Movement does not join the PAN, then Ramush Haradinaj will make the government with numbers that have”, says Pal Lekaj.

Coalition The PDK has won 39 seats in parliament. However, to make the government, it needs 61 votes, out of 120 deputies, as much as the Kosovo Parliament has. Ramush Haradinaj, accounts for even 20 minority votes, including Kosovo Serbs and several votes from opposition bloc deputies The LDK and Vetevendosje to pass the necessary 61 votes to form the government, though so far there is nothing confirmed.

LDK and Vetevendosje vs. PDK

On the other hand, senior officials from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) are currently classy against the PAN coalition, where it is part The PDK, with which they were in the government last year. The PDK, together with opposition parties, voted for the government's dismissal, Mustafa. “The PDK poisoned the well, where it drank its own water. There is no way to convince us at the point of the day to change our thinking. Water has been poisoned by those who are ungrateful markets. We do not enter a coalition where PDK” is, says Lutfi Haziri.

Categorik and against any kind of coalition with the PDK is the Vetevendosje Movement with its nominated for prime minister, Albin Kurti. Tinka Kurti, spokeswoman for the Vetevendosje movement, the subject that won 32 seats in the assembly, told local media that Vetevendosje would form the government, as it did. PAN fail to form it. She says her party is open to coalitions, except for the PDK.

We believe that people have voted for changes. Vetevendosje movement has become the largest party, whereas The PDK has been sent to the opposition. We need to get together so that after the new assembly's establishment, we have new government”, says Tinka Kurti.

Osman for coalition with Vetevendosje

Despite differences in the programme, one of the most vice deputies voted by LDK, Vjosa Osmani, says the LDK must make a coalition with Vetevendosje, to quit PDK in opposition. “Being that coalition PDK-AAK-Nisma has 39 deputies, this coalition cannot create the government, therefore it must be done together with the Vetevendosje movement to leave in opposition PDK”, Vjosa Osmani says. She says if coalition fails PAN to form the government, President Hashim Thaci, must grant the mandate for forming the coalition government, bringing the minimum 61 votes to parliament.

Even the Vetevendosje Movement has openly extended its invitation The LDK to make a coalition with Albin Kurtin prime minister and, as they say, “ta sends the final PDK in opposition”. Even LDK officials openly prefer coalition with Vetevendosje, but say not with Albin Kurti prime minister, but for the prime minister to be from the LDK. This has been rejected by the Vetevendosje Movement, which, as its officials say, Albin Kurti on the basis of the CEC's final results, is the most voted person in Kosovo, and it belongs to him to be prime minister.

But, LDK officials say, they are also willing to stay in opposition for the next four years and will not enter variants that do not go in favour of their LDK party.

“List Srpska”

The other side is the “list Srpska”, which has 10 seats in the Kosovo Parliament and under the constitution it must be part of the government with at least two to three ministries. Her officials have not yet been declared for a coalition with any of the Albanian political subjects, but Marko Djuric, chief of the office for Kosovo in the government of Serbia, now and again says “that the Serbian list should seek the post of chief parliamentary”. He says that “if in Macedonia is an Albanian at the helm of the assembly, why can't a Serb be at the helm of the Kosovo Assembly”.

All these pro and against possible coalitions for forming the government political analyst Imer Mushkolaj sees it as normal in this phase and far from sustainable as claims. He says “should not be trusted by political subjects, who consistently swear they will not coalition with this or that anymore. ”

“I nominated coalition PAN, Ramush Haradinaj, may even secure any more votes. In Kosovo, the smuggling phenomenon is known, or “fishing” of MPs for material gain. I statements to political subjects, that they will by no means vote Ramush Haradinaj to form the government, do not believe because, unless we look a little bit in the past they have proved they do not keep their word”, says Imer Mushkolaj.

Anyway, The CEC warned that by the end of this week it will formalise the final election results and then is in the hands of political subjects to decide on coalitions to form the government.

The Role of President

On the basis of Kosovo's constitution, its Article 95 clearly specifys, that following the Certificate of election results, the president of the Republic of Kosovo is consulting the political party, or the subject, or the coalition that is the winner of the election and decrees the mandate that has won the elections for the government's creation. The 15-day term manager is obliged to go to the Assembly on the government's list and vote. If it is not voted and won't win the necessary votes of 61 MPs, then it is considered that the government has not been elected to the first mandate. Then within the ten-day deadline, it is at “the session” or the will of the president whether to give the mandate to the second and third parties (on the basis of election percentages) that provide 61 votes to make the government, or announce the extraordinary new elections. So it says in an interpretation of the constitution made in 2014, where Kosovo for more than six months could not create the government. On the basis of this interpretation, one thing is clear: “the speaker of the assembly belongs to the winning party or coalition of elections, in this case the winning PAN” coalition./DW/