Visa failure expected to tear down Prime Minister Haradinaj

The largest opposition party, the Democratic League of Kosovo for longer than two months, is trying to collect the signatures of Kosovo Parliament's deputies to file a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's government.

But, the LDK, backed by the other two opposition parties, is still four votes away for collecting 61 signatures needed for passing the motion.

In addition to the motion, the LDK and the other opposition party, Vetevendosje Movement are also applying the form of boycott in the Assembly, enabling the Parliament to function normal and decision-making, as the ruling coalition does not make up the majority Parliament.

According to the Democratic League of Kosovo, the collapse of the Government is necessary because, reportedly, the mismanagement and dialogue process of Serbia, which it says is not being developed in the right manner.

Democratic League of Kosovo Secretary Ismet Beqiri, at the same time deputy of this political party, tells Radio Free Europe that the opposition is making efforts to proceed with the vote of confidence and is continuing talks with some deputy positions to support this motion.

“We are expecting a kind of guarantee that will be voted on the part of those 4 or 5 deputies. There may be more, perhaps, because contacts are with deputies of certain subjects. I'm saying once again, I can't say exactly who they are or whose political subject they belong to, but those votes we're asking for and we're seeing how we can secure them from parties that are partners in the ruling coalition”, Beqiri says.

The Democratic League argues its insistence on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's government, with the fact that all three major Kosovo institutions -- the Presidency, Parliament and Government -- are in crisis of operation, according to her, but also because of dialogue with Serbia, which this party opposes the way it is developing.

Political analysts, however, estimate that dialogue with Serbia does not undermine this government, but may be the issue of visa liberalisation and the decision expected to be made during December on the part of the European Union Council.

A possible failure of this process, according to Naim Rashit of the Balkan Policy Group, would put at risk the further functioning of the government and the current coalition.

If only the topic of dialogue allows for the collapse of the Government, the same situation will be the day the new government is formed. Actors can change places, but confrontations, objections will be the same. If the government falls, it risks falling on the visa liberalisation issue rather than on dialogue”.

This topic of dialogue is very complex issues. However, the government, which has consistently pledged that visa liberalisation is the priority and has invested a lot in this issue, should be well articulated at the moment when it can be announced that the visa process is not on the right track”, Rashi estimates.

On the other hand, the party leading with the current government, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, estimates that at present there is unlikely to be early elections due to the processes that are under way, such as Kosovo's possible membership in INTERPOL, the formation of the army and the decision, or the one expected to be taken by the European Union concerning visa liberalisation.

AAK Deputy Chairman Ahmet Isufi says the LDK's move for a dialogue resolution and, at the same time, commitments for motion vote of confidence show that the opposition does not imply the government's collapse.

“There is no situation for early elections because the government is working, making important decisions for Kosovo. We have processes that need to be completed, such as visa liberalisation, INTERPOL membership and forming of the military. Therefore, there is no time for early elections and there is no mood for parties, which are supposedly calling the elections”.

The opposition at the moment it has the votes, normally making the motion and asking no one. But even if the processes do not work out properly, this should be seen why there are obstacles and why there are jams. But, currently, I consider that Kosovo is on a good track in completing these processes, which were cited”, Isufi points out.

Meanwhile, the ruling and opposition parties have recently increased their party activities on the ground. The moment when Kosovo receives the positive or negative news about visa liberalisation is also seen in some political subjects as a moment that could bring a turn to survival, or the collapse of the Government.

Also, at a time when the opposition is trying to use parliamentary mechanisms for the collapse of the government, the Central Election Commission is dysfunctional due to the non-appointed new members by President Hashim Thaci since the June 2017 elections.

The president had sent in June this year to the Constitutional Court the interpretation on the issue of representation of parties in the CEC. The Constitutional Court has not yet made a ruling on the issue.