Analyst: President's position should not be subject to discussion of coalition achievement

Recognisors of political developments say the main problem of not reaching an agreement is the post of president, which continues to seek the Democratic League of Kosovo, while opposed by the Vetevendosje Movement.

LDK Chairman Isa Mustafa, today at a media conference after meeting with LDK branch heads, said that several more issues have been agreed with Vetevendosje Movement on many things on the governing programme and have been hired to some extent to share responsibilities, but that he said some issues remain to be discussed.

Mustafa declared that the presidential position is a matter of principle and trust that should be created between the two partners and that even the division of positions will become such that neither side turns super powerful out of this coalition.

The president's “And we also think that it's a principle issue, we say the issue of an equation that needs to be created between the two partners, and it's also a matter of trust between us, so that even the division of positions becomes such that neither side gets super powerful out of this coalition. But to have our share in sharing the responsibilities we have taken before the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. This is our only request, in no personal request nor personal formula, in these conversations that have been developed so far, but there are issues that we want even the interest of our subjects that we represent in the talks and that of the citizens who are waiting for us to equalize and have equal responsibilities to say political, but also to our citizens”, he said.

As for the name of who will be proposed for this position, Mustafa said that when the time comes in 2021 the LDK's organs will make that proposal.

The KP has tried to take a stance by the Vetevendosje Movement about whether to offer the LDK the presidential post, but have declined to talk about the issue.

Political analyst Rasim Alija, for Kosova Prees, says the parties have remained unsigned because of disagreements over the president's position.

“Absolutely, the parties are being seen as remaining in this part of the president, and this is about the part that both political subjects are well aware that besides the coalition and co-governance agreement there is the other problem and that is the power within the coalition. Who will have the power or who will take the lead within the coalition. It's quite normal that the main role as a winning party with LVV, but this very base of LDK knows that in a government with LVV, the likelihood of contracting as a political subject is huge. Add here the possibility of not taking a position like that of the president would make the LDK a political subject, which in the upcoming elections could be completed third or fourth. The whole issue has been blocked or has been from the very beginning the issue of President”, he says.

However, Alija says the two parties, if they want to co-go government then they have to compromise, even according to him, it is not problematic that the two leaders agree now on the presidential post.

“If the parties want to have co-governance and a coalition, they have to compromise, and in this respect they also agree to the demands and rejections, the LDK will also accept certain rejections and the LVV to accept the rest about LDK's request, which is the president's case. If now as declared by political subjects the president's case is now discussed, what's different after a year and a half. So they will be the same MPs, they will be the same political subjects, above all it will be the same way of electing the president, because until a year and a half when the president carries out the mandate, there is no real possibility that the reforms that could change for the president to be elected by the people”, he says.

While Artan Demhay from the organisation Get up, says disagreements over the presidential post have caused LVV and LDK to fail to reach agreement.

He says that because of this position both parties have not met yesterday or today, as according to him it is seen that neither side has moved from positions they currently hold.

Demhasa says the president's position should not be a topic of discussion about the coalition's arrival between LVV and LDK.

With no doubt, we are talking about creating government and not talking about the president, because the president has a mandate of another year and a half. So there was no need to do this so that no agreement can be reached because of a position that still has a mandate. Currently, they had to agree on the division of government posts and continue with the establishment of institutions, so that the work can not be continued and everything is not blocked, or that Kosovo remains completely blocked and entered into a political crisis until likely another election comes due to not passing such a situation, such as the position of the president's post. Both subjects can agree and immediately once the government begins electoral reforms, electoral reforms are carried out, when the time comes for the president's election, he will be elected directly by the people or agreed to run these two political subjects a figure that doesn't come from either of these political parties, so to be a consensus figure”, he said by telephone for Kosova Prees.

Demhasa says that if Vetevendosje agrees that the post of president meets the LDK, it would become like LDK in 2014 when it agreed to meet the post of president PDK.

“City at the start shows that the governing thinking and separation of government resources are not different from the past, because even in 2014 a coalition agreement between the PDK and the LDK has been reached just by bringing the president's position into the political market. If LVV accepts such a condition, then that does not distinguish it from the LDK at the time, which made PDK president. So, I think LVV should insist on this point and should not necessarily be released at this point”, he says.

We remember that elections were held in Kosovo on 6 October, and the first party has emerged from the Vetevendosje Movement, while the Democratic League of Kosovo's second party. These two parties, even after 11 meetings so far, have not found common language for forming the new government.