Lutfi Haziri returns idea of early elections

Haziri, who had previously expressed the opinion in principle President Hashim Thaci must lead the Kosovo side in the talks with Serbia and that the LDK does not want the institution's disrespect presede, has now said that the party he is deputy chairman will not be part of the Kosovo delegation in Brussels.

We've had three principles for building consensus in the Republic Assembly. This has not been achieved. The LDK's request has already evolved to the formula Before the dialogue, which implies elections (pre-arranged) before dialogue. We are not part of this delegation, nor of the eventual delegations outside an agreement and a political consensus, which can only be reached in the Parliament of Republic”, Haziri told Radio Free Europe.

He has added that early parliamentary elections would legitimise Kosovo's representative institutions.

“We believe that this crisis, which has been produced politically in Kosovo, has degraded the political legitimacy of representatives, and necessarily legitimacy for representation in such forms of dialogue is necessary. Of course, this country does not have the format and authority to carry any delegate or responsibility with this commitment. Therefore, the LDK remains in its opposition role within this Assembly, with political demands that will continue to be politically affirmed even with concrete opposition actions within the UN”, Haziri said.

At the “Rubikon” of KTV, on July 5th, LDK deputy chairman Lutfi Haziri, had said it is principledly pro for President Hashim Thaci to lead the Kosovo side in talks with Serbia.

“The LDK does not allow precedent for state institutions and state carriers to make a shadow representation. If he is president, he is president and has constitutional duties. There are voices in Kosovo that say the process is good, we can go, but this president cannot go. What if we have another LDK president tomorrow, and he represents Kosovo in the UN and finds the opposition to say he doesn't. It doesn't play with institutions. We cannot allow ourselves to become precedents in replacing delegations. Unless the Assembly builds it and allows a dialogue facility... Basically, we're against it. We have deputies who object, most of them may be, but the problem is that when the LDK's leadership decides, we eventually have to preserve our unity. We're going to react together”, he said in Rubik's KTV.

Even in an interview for Radio Free Europe, Haziri had said dialogue without the opposition would fail.

A day after Haziri had said so, LDK chairman Isa Mustafa held meetings with party branch heads. According to the media announcement from this party, all branch leaders supported the LDK leadership position, that institutions have no legitimacy, and the country is in an institutional crisis.

“All LDK branches confirmed the position that the dialogue process cannot be led by legitimate institutions and beyond constitutional competencies. The LDK, therefore, is ready to lead this important process after citizens' legitimacy in the new elections”, is said in the media communique.

At the meeting with Mustafa, at his home in Assisza, Haziri had been absent.

The same day, the other deputy chairman of this party Agim Veliu on television 21 had declared that President Hashim Thaci has no authorisation to negotiate on behalf of Kosovo citizens and that any agreement reached in Brussels with the Serbian side could only be his private agreement, but not on behalf of Kosovo.