The Founding Court in Gjilan for 15 Months Without Head, KDR announces competition for the third time

The Kosovo Judiciary Council (KGJK) has failed to elect the chairman of this court even after all these months.

The election of the President of the Foundation Court in Gjilan has failed twice in the KRC, because neither of the candidates had received the affirmative majority of the vote to be elected to this position.

The KDR has announced the third consecutive competition for this position, and the procedure for electing the president of this court is still continuing.

The director of the KDR Secretariat, Szezen Maliqi, has told “Justice Vow” that this council is proceeding on this issue.

He has said six candidates are in the race for this position.

The competition for chairman of the Foundation Court in Gjilan is closed. We're respecting legal procedures. Soon the commission will also interview candidates for the position, and names will be sent to council meetings. A total of six candidates --” -- have declared Maliqi.

He has said that in this case there can be no emergency action, since, according to him, procedures should be respected.

Otherwise, at the January 13, 2017, as the starting point of the day's order, it had also been the selection of the chairman of the Foundation Court in Gjilan.

In the race for the position there had been four candidates, where the KDR had voted for everyone separately, as order for the selection of the Courts had not yet changed.

Candidate Zyhdi Haziri had received 4 votes for, and 5 abstentions -- Naser Maliqi 2 votes per, 4 against and 3 abstentions -- Aziz Shaqiri 2 votes for, 4 against and 3 abstentions, while 1 vote for, 3 against and 6 abstentions had received candidate Veli Kryeziu.

Thus, since none of the candidates had won the affirmative majority of votes for the position of founder's Court in Gjilan, it was imperative that the competition be restalated.

Because of this created state, the KDR had chosen Judge Africa Shala for U.d. Chairman of this Foundation in Gjilan.

The procedure for the second time, from the announcement of the competition until the KDR vote, had lasted over nine months.

At last October 18th meeting, the KDR as the starting point of the agenda again had the selection of the Chairman of the Foundation Court in Gjilan.

In the race for the position, there were a total of eight candidates, with the voting process held in three rounds.

In the first round, out of a total of eight candidates, Aziz Shaqiri and Zyhdi Haziri had received equal number of votes, each out of five votes respectively.

Among those two candidates, there was the second round, which again resulted in equal number of votes for KDR members.

The third round also brought no change, and the process failed the second time.

For this reason, the KDR was forced to announce a third time competition for the position of Chairman of the Foundation Court in Gjilan.

By February 20th this year, Judge Africa Shala had exercised the position of Chairman of the Foundation Court in Gjilan.

However, by the decree of President Hashim Thaci, Shala was advanced as a judge at the Court of Appeals.

For this reason, the Constitutional Court in Gjilan was left unattended. The chairman, after the moment KDR proposed Shala for advancement, had not appointed a U.d. The next president of this court.

Between February 20th and March 1st, the Constitutional Court in Gjilan had remained with only the deputy task manager of the court chairman, which the judge, Agim Ademi, exercised.

On March 1st, the KDR was assigned to U.D. The head of this court, Judge Mevlude Shabani.

Otherwise, by the end of 2016, the KRC had chosen the heads of the five Constitutional Courts, and during 2017 the chairman of the Foundation Court in Mitrovica, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.

In all courts on all levels, the only fundamental Court remains in Gjilan, which is still without chairman.