Toward Early Elections

Two days after resigning from the post of prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj has continued with several of his activities, but has not talked about political developments.

On Sunday, Haradinaj, along with government and party officials the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, has participated in a memorial academy in the municipality of Rahoveci.

Haradinaj, earlier announced that early next week he will also formally inform the heads of institutions of his decision to resign.

Political parties that are part of the Kosovo Assembly have declared that after Haradinaj's resignation they are ready for early elections.

Democratic Party of Kosovo Chairman Kadri Veselini said Saturday that the elections are already inevitable following Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's resignation, who has been summoned to The Hague at the Special Prosecutor for Kosovo.

The early elections are currently inevitable. The PDK is ready for elections, whenever they are assigned. What can be discussed is only the time when they will be held”, Wessel declared.

The Democratic League of Kosovo has also called on Kosovo's president to start consultations with political parties on setting the date of early elections.

LDK Deputy Chairman Agim Veliu told Radio Free Europe that it should not waste time and that it should start consultations as soon as possible on setting the date of new elections.

The country's “president should call the political parties as soon as possible for consultation on setting the election date. The president can use a period of time as needed and defined for consultations, otherwise it must be done too quickly”, Veliu said.

Veliu has ruled out any possibility other than new elections.

I am now talking about the position of the Democratic League of Kosovo. We demand that the election date be set, otherwise we are not willing to enter any government. Now there are numbers in decisive democracy. Those who want to make governments if they can reach any agreement with anyone else, but as far as LDK is concerned, this is our position”, Veliu said.

Even Vetevendosje Movement Chairman Albin Kurti, at a media conference, has called on President Thaci not to file the process towards free and democratic elections. He has said that Kosovo has no government and that Kosovo must be done with new government.

Political parties in Kosovo are already waiting for the decision Kosovo President Hashim Thaci can make, following Ramush Haradinaj's resignation.

Political analyst Imer Mushkolaj said the creation of a new government that would continue half of the Haradinaj government's mandate is impossible.

“Taking into account the situation on the political scene, I see such an impossible thing because I don't believe neither LDK nor Vetevendosje will join the rest of the PAN, disfellowshipped AAK to create new governments. That logic, the president of the country is left alone to consume all procedures that the law envisions and conditioned in order to announce new elections”.

“While political parties remain to prepare for elections, given Haradinaj's resignation was unexpected, and it is not as if the parties have also found it in the greatest comfort to participate in the elections”, Mushkolaj said.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has resigned and announced it has made public at the Kosovo Government's regular meeting Friday.

The reason for the resignation, as Haradinaj has said, is because he has accepted an invitation from the Special Court in The Hague to the quality of the suspect.

Haradinaj, at his conference after his resignation, stressed that he cannot allow to be interviewed by the Special Chambers and presented as prime minister and therefore resigned.

Ramush Haradinaj's resignation has ended the coalition between the Democratic Party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Social Democrat Initiative.

Coalition PAN in the election of 2017, had competed with a grouping of about 20 political parties. From them, however, seats in the country provided only P DK, AAK and Initiative. Meanwhile, after the elections, this coalition joined Behgjet Pacolli's AKR, the Serbian List, as well as other minority communities' parties.