Kosovo officials paid without going to work

For this, the non-governmental organisation “PolitFacte” has initiated an online petition, demanding from the Ministry of Finance, that deputies of the Kosovo Assembly's sixth legislature not be paid until they are able to do their job.

The Assembly, although holding six consecutive sessions of the constitutional hearing, has failed to elect the chief speaker and vice president.

Alban Krasniqi, leader of this organisation, tells Radio Free Europe that while MPs fail to fulfill their obligations as elected by the electorate, then, according to him, they should not be paid.

Kosovo's “Deputates of the Parliament, unfortunately, except that they fail to perform the work for which they have been chosen, they by not creating institutions for which they have constitutional duty, as they have also vowed to maintain constitutionality, they do not do so, but they fail in many other ways the state and taxes, even losing millions of euros in many sections”, he points out.

Due to the failure to establish new institutions which would be neglected with the International Monetary Fund for any new programme, the Republic of Kosovo has been stressed that it would lose 16m euros in loans from the IMF.

Also, due to the lack of International Monetary Fund programmes (FMN), Kosovo risks losing even 50m euros from the European Union.

Krasniqi says the petition has also found support from other representatives of civil society.

The 120 deputies of the Republic of Kosovo Assembly, in addition to the monthly salary of about 1500 euros a month, also enjoy additional material rights for any of their activities.

For two sessions during the month, they receive 240 euros.

For participation in parliamentary commission meetings, however, they earn an additional 160 euros.

Thus, as a whole, the MP's monthly income, including the wages, amounts to or even exceeds the amount of 2,000 euros.

Zulfaj lives from the Movement '%s', says free Europe Radio that MPs' salaries are high if compared to the salary average in Kosovo.

According to him, while monthly salaries in Kosovo are brought from 130 to over 400 euros, Kosovo Assembly deputies continue to have five times the average salary in the country.

While the minimum wage and average wage in Kosovo continues to remain low, MPs' salaries must be revised, but also harmonised to some extent with the people representing it. There has also not been any economic growth in Kosovo, which would enable or at least reason on such a salary of the MP in Kosovo”, Zulfaj points out.

In the rule of the Republic of Kosovo, it is said that in addition to the right of monthly material compensation, MPs have the right to cover their residence spending and travel in and out of the country on official duty, then additional revenues for participation in the Assembly sessions and Commissions, covering phone and oil expenses, and working on other troops outside regular activities.

Meanwhile, official statistics say Kosovo continues to face high levels of poverty and unemployment.

For years there has been no economic growth higher than 4 percent. Until unemployment rates have reached more than 26 percent.