LVV, LDK shift meetings to working groups

On Friday, the meeting of the working groups over the ruling coalition agreement was held, warning next week of the meeting.

Working groups agreed on the content and principles of the agreement for co-governance.

After the meeting between the working groups of the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League, Glauk Konjufca from LVV said the most important topics awaiting the next government have been discussed.

And what I can say is that we need deep reforms in justice, education, health, administration, so there are more sectoral reforms that we need”, Conjufca said.

According to him, there is no discussion at this meeting of ministries between the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo.

For failing to hold more frequent meetings between the two parties, the Vetevendosje Movement has blamed the Democratic League of Kosovo. Officials from the latter have stated they want to host the Certificate of results from the Central Election Commission before negotiations begin.

Such a reception is not being viewed as the real reason by party officials who won these elections.

Albulen Haxhiu of the Vetevendosje Movement tells Radio Free Europe that Vetevendosje as the party belonging to the prime minister post is very interested in having as many meetings between the two parties' working groups as possible.

The blame why these meetings are not happening, Haxhiu says it has the LDK and that, according to her, there is no point in dragging this process on.

We are 24 hours willing to work in this direction, but on the other hand, we have not seen the same approach by LDK representatives. I believe that the reasoning we have to wait for until the election results are certified is uncertain about the fact that this outcome cannot be reversed. It is now known who is the winner of elections in the Republic of Kosovo”, Haxhiu says.

According to her, with the margin votes, Vetevendosje has deepened the difference among other subjects, including the LDK.

Democratic League of Kosovo deputy leader Lutfi Haziri tells Radio Free Europe that LDK and Vetevendosje have met at two levels, at the level of leaders and working groups, which will harmonise sectoral policies.

According to Haziri, working groups must first do the job and then meet party leaders. Last week, the LDK General Council had decided that there should be no more meetings with Vetevendosje, unless the final election outcome is certified. But Haziri believes that working groups can meet.

“We don't need to wait for the count and dawn of the election results to the end, because working groups can meet at any time to harmonise sectoral positions related to the governing programme. As leaders meet according to the need or when sectoral policies are ready, then they decide on the form of the agreement, the format of the agreement, the division of domestic government resources, and of course the expected” agreement is signed, Haziri says.

While results from the Central Election Commission have not yet been certified, the two parties have only held a meeting at the level of leaders.

After this meeting, Vetevendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti and Democratic League of Kosovo candidate Vjosa Osmani, who was present at the meeting, had claimed to have agreed to start coalition negotiations.

However, at the LDK General Council, held after this meeting, it is said to be expected to prioritise results to proceed with meetings later.

Given these developments, Valmir Ismaili from the organisation Democracy Plus (D+) tells Radio Free Europe that it is clear that the Vetevendosje Movement is ranked first of all the numbers that have been made so far and that there can be no change of results. So, he points out, “should not be wasted time” to wait for the output certificate.

“If there are such delays, I consider them unreasonable because there is no need to expect a formalism when it is known who the winner of the election is. Therefore, I expect these two political subjects, or their experts, to meet and close their governing programme for the future”, Ismaili says.

The Vetevendosje and Democratic League of Kosovo, even before the 6 October elections, have met several times, but without success, failed to make a pre-election coalition and compete separately.

Early parliamentary elections followed Ramush Haradinaj's resignation from the prime minister's post, following the invitation he received from the Special Court in The Hague.

Based on the Constitution of Kosovo and an interpretation of the Constitutional Court in 2014, the Government of Kosovo can only form the party or coalition that wins the elections, which in this case implies the Vetevendosje Movement, which then has the right to select with which or with which political parties wants to form the new government for the upcoming four-year mandate.