Ideas for correcting borders promote drafting of the Law for Referendum

According to the Kosovo Constitution, Article 1, point three, it is said that the Republic of Kosovo has no territorial claims on any state or part of any state and will not seek to join any state or part of any state”.

Mazlum Baraliu, professor of Constitutional Law speaking to Radio Free Europe, says referenda in Kosovo can occur after a separate law is issued. He says such a law has not occurred for lack of political will.

The “to realise a referendum issue, as is the concrete proposal of the president of these days, would have to have the Law for the referendum in advance. This law, under Article 81 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, is not designed to enter among those so-called laws of vital legislation, and there is no need that by two-thirds, not two-thirds doubles, so it can be passed by a simple majority”, Baraliu said.

President Thaci has spoken about the importance a referendum should be organised at the conclusion of the dialogue process that would have to be completed, according to him, With peace agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

Political affairs analyst from the Kosovo Democratic Institute, Artan Murati, tells Radio Free Europe that such a law could be done if a comprehensive agreement between political subjects is to be reached, as a significant number of votes for its adoption are needed.

Murati points out that in this respect, careful work should not be followed by narrow political agendas, but should be looked at in broader terms.

I see the problem in context and the way this bill would then be translated into practice when it becomes law. And what his outcome would be and how the political subjects would then behave if the law was passed and the referendum was put on, for example, the issue of exchange of territories or uniting the Presevo Valley. Because then it would be possible to play with words and the way the question would be raised. In fact, citizens would also come to a poor position. So I consider that this action should be well considered”, he said.

Murati also said opposition MPs have already undertaken initiatives for adopting such a law, but not on the issue that is mentioning President Thaci.

“We have parliamentary groups from the opposition, who have actually initiated such a bill in the Assembly. And that can easily translate into a later political confrontation between the president and these very parliamentary groups, which have pushed the draft referendum law forward. However, on the other hand, they reject such a referendum, which the president himself is demanding for”, Murati said.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has declared that in the coming months he will To present the idea and, as he says, restructuring the border with Serbia.

(Video: President Thaci, during a conference with political representatives of the Presevo Valley, said there will be no partition of Kosovo)

Thaci has said that if political parties in Kosovo fail to agree and not support his initiative, he intends to achieve this through the referendum.

“in such a situation, indeed there is no other way but to empower the decision-making of citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, enabling them to decide for themselves who is right and what option is in the interest of Kosovo. Therefore, it is imperative that we enable our citizens the right to the referendum, which I'm working on to become reality”, Thaci said last week.