LDK seeks broad agreement for president

LDK Deputy Chairman Lutfi Haziri told Radio Free Europe that talks on this issue should include the entire political spectrum.

Before we come out on a special name, together with the coalition government partners, we must reach the political agreement on the issue. The LDK is not linked to specific names at this stage, but requires broader deals”, Haziri said.

Haziri added that he expects from coalition partners that “will act on state interests and overcome this challenge”.

On November 5th, Hashim Thaci resigned from the post of Kosovo president after the Specialised Chambers in The Hague confirmed his indictment of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The same day, based on the competencies given to the Constitution, Kosovo Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani took over the post of presidential task manager. Under the Constitution, Osmani could remain in the post for six months, until a new president is elected.

During Monday, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, who comes from the LDK ranks, said they will soon start talks on the presidential post.

I believe in a few days, we'll start consultations with the political spectrum to resolve this issue, to see how we will overcome this situation. The constitutional path is clear, I will insist that all constitutional steps be forwarded and public interest placed before that political”, Hoti said during a media conference in Pristina.

Election option

The partners of the current ruling coalition -- which include the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, the Social Democrat Initiative and parties of non-party communities -- have indicated in favour of electing the new president in order to avoid new elections.

For holding elections, the largest opposition party, the Vetevendosje Movement, has indicated. The head of this movement, Albin Kurti, at a media conference held on November 15th, called for holding extraordinary elections and then being elected the new president of the Republic.

Like Kurti, Nezir Kraki, professor of political science in University, agrees. Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC). In a conversation for Radio Free Europe, he said that “Kosovo urgently needs to re-legigrate its state and governing institutions”.

The current uncertainty is not in favour of any party except in favour of Kosovo's stagnation and isolation. Furthermore, Kosovo also needs political stability in the years to come because in January the mandate of (US president-elect) begins Joe Beden in America and we do not dare to miss the unique opportunity we have for re-torting Kosovo and Albanians in the Balkans”, Kraki said.

From this point of view, I think that the production of a president with policy deals is not even to be mentioned. Let's go to elections in March or April and start a normal cycle, with normal government and institutions”, he added.

Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo has not been declared concerning the president's issue, but officials of this party have confirmed that during this week the party's leadership will meet to discuss recent developments.

Kadri Wessel, who led the PDK, has also resigned from the party leadership after he is part of the joint indictment with Thaci, Vetevendosje Movement deputy Rexhep Selimi and former head of the Kosovo Assembly Jakup Krasniqi. All four former Kosovo Liberation Army members are in custody at The Hague and have been declared innocent of charges weighing on them.

Currently, only the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo has emerged with its candidate for president, have nominated for the post, party leader Ramush Haradinaj, respectively. But Haradinaj's name for the first state has been rejected by the main partner in the ruling coalition, LDK.

How is the president of Kosovo elected?

According to Article 86 of the Constitution, Kosovo Parliament deputies elect the president for a five-year term, through secret voting.

Any person over 35 could run for president of the country. Candidates, to be nominated, must first collect the signatures of at least 30 members of the assembly.

For a candidate to be elected president, it takes two-thirds of the votes of all Kosovo Assembly deputies.

If no candidate for president gets this two-thirds majority in the first two votes, then the third vote is held, attended by two presidential candidates who have received the highest number of votes in two preliminary votes, and the candidate who gets the majority of votes from all MPs becomes president of the Republic of Kosovo.

But, if even in the third vote a candidate fails to be elected president, the Constitution envisions that the assembly must be distributed and announced new elections, which should be held within 45 days.