Quorum lack continues to impede Kosovo Assembly work

The lack of quorum in the process of voting is following this Kosovo Parliament legislature, which has been contributing to remaining unfinished points since August. Bills and resolutions from the prime minister's various interventions have failed to vote at all as a lack of quorum.

As far as the opposition is accused of boycotting the vote, opposition parties say it is not their duty to secure the quorum for the ruling coalition.

Vetevendosje Movement MP Eman Ungumman says the country must go to the polls in order to have a government and a decision that can do the job properly. He says it is not their duty to make government numbers.

This is an indication that this government, except that it has no legitimacy, has no numbers in the Assembly to pass even a law. The country has to go into elections as soon as it has an election and a government that has a majority in the Parliament and is passed, both laws and the job is done properly, but we see that there is no quorum, that government has no numbers, no idea what to do in this difficult situation that Kosovo is going through. [.] We're not here to do government numbers, we're here to carry out our mandate, a mandate since the citizens' interest we vote on something”, he says.

While, the Democratic Party of Kosovo has suspended work in the Assembly this week following recent events by the Special Court.

This, according to the party's deputy, Gazmend Bytyqi is the reason why they have been missing in the Kosovo Assembly this week, while stressing that it is the ruling coalition's duty to ensure the quorum to hold the Assembly hearings.

“known this week The PDK has not participated in any of the work of the Parliament or parliamentary commissions following the situation created with the Special Court. Also, they should know that it is their duty to form the quorum, other charges raised around opposition parties are only accusations to draw attention to its responsibility. He must assume the responsibility he belongs to, for which they have been called and formed the” government, Bytyqi said over the phone.

On the other hand, LDK deputy Faton Bislimi says MPs from all political parties have responsibility before citizens and should participate in the Assembly sessions.

“The governing coalition consists of certain parties, I can speak and can take responsibility only if the LDK may not participate in the large session. I said and I repeat that the majority of LDK deputies have been in all these hearings. We hope in understanding of other coalition partners to return to their responsibility at the end of the day, they have this responsibility before Kosovo citizens, not before the coalition. MPs in the Kosovo Assembly are responsible before their electorate, above all responsible for the confidence they have taken from these citizens. [...] In the next week the Assembly returns to normality because there is a lot of work to do, there are unfinished sessions now and a few weeks, and it's time to complete them”, he says.

The work of this legislature is also criticised by organisations dealing with monitoring the work of the Kosovo Parliament.

Eugen Cakoli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute says this legislature since its beginning has been characterised with the failure of hearings due to lack of quorum. He says it is the direct responsibility of the ruling coalition to ensure at least the simple majority in the Assembly.

The fact that it is the direct responsibility of the ruling coalition, the parliamentary majority respectively, is noteworthy in this direction so that on issues they bring to the country for voting, they will have a majority of at least 61 deputies present who participate and vote. We have seen that this has not happened so far, and in many cases the position has accused the opposition of a destructive behaviour, although I consider that to this behaviour of the opposition there is also a position of its own, since in many cases it has been shown, let's say, arrogant with the opposition, whether by not including the issues or amendments proposed by them in the” laws, he says.

And to have a literal functioning of the Kosovo Parliament's work, Cakoli says, either the country should go to the polls, or the possibility of expanding the ruling coalition should be seen.

It is evident that no legal initiative or bill can be adopted in the Assembly without opposition assistance. And in this direction I believe there are two possible options, primarily the possibility of expanding the coalition or even going to elections. Since the failure of the Assembly that was just in the pandemic period, when citizens had the most need to see the hand of the Parliament, say conditionally, to offer them the help they needed, the Parliament has been dealing with other issues, on charges, with non-parliamentarians language use, and has failed to address the continued civic requirements to find a consensus in this highly sensitive situation for the country”, Cacol says.

On Wednesday of this week, it was meant to hold the extraordinary session for the adoption of the Second Read Economic Recovery Bill, but only 31 MPs were in the hall, thus failing for the second time to be voted. The same bill had managed to be voted in first reading only in the eighth time.

The same day was the continuation of the plenary hearing with unfinished points from previous sessions, but failed to hold.

And the lack of quorum has failed Thursday's session, where the country's Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti was summoned to two intersupensions.