DW: Kosovo in political collapse and ahead of institutional collapse in pandemic time

The Constitutional Court's decision, which announced the election of Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti's unconstitutional government, clearly stipulates that Kosovo must go to new elections. There is no other way. Kosovo does not even have elected president, following Hashim Thaci's resignation charged with war crimes by the Special Court. The president's function is exercised by Kosovo Assembly Speaker Vjosa Osmani, but no more than four months.

In this situation, Kosovo is currently in an institutional crisis, facing pandemic. EU representative in Kosovo Thomas Szunyog and the US Embassy in Kosovo called on all political parties and institutions to respect the Constitutional Court's decisions.

Kosovo's <x0);Authorities should ensure that Kosovo citizens have the opportunity to choose their representatives through free, fair and peaceful elections”, the US Embassy's response was said.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's duty has already begun meetings with representatives of political parties to agree on the date of the new elections. Thus, it was requested in the Constitutional Court's decision that “president of the Republic of Kosovo announces the elections, which should be held no later than 40 days from the day of their proclamation”. Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti's government remains in office until the new government is elected.

Parties that are part of the ruling coalition, the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK Social Democrat Initiative and minority parties said they would respect the Constitutional Court's decision and are preparing for new elections.

Kosovo in institutional crisis

Meanwhile, one of the opposition political parties, Democratic Party of Kosovo The PDK, welcomed the Constitutional Court's decision to oust the government Hoti, stressing that the current” governance coalition -- now several months -- does not have the parliamentary majority to pass no law and has blocked the normal functioning of the state institutions”.

The Vetevendosje movement, which in past elections came first, has consistently called for new elections to be held. This party sent it to the Constitutional for interpretation “the legality of the government's election Hoti”, also taking the right from this court.

Recognitions of political developments say Kosovo is already in an institutional crisis and in a non-tested situation even without elected president. Blerim Burjani, political analyst and connoisseur of the Constitution in Kosovo, told DW that the <x0-party political actions with their actions now and 20 years have damaged the sense of democracy, and that makes it difficult for citizens' constitutional rights.

Unstable policy is bringing confusion and difficulty to state functioning. Kosovo society has turned into a political arena and with a political scene unchanged for 20 years now. Political parties are private property of leaders and people around them, who are majority and politics see it as the only means to receive salaries and other privileges. So this undermines the sense of democracy and makes it difficult to implement the constitutional rights of the citizens”, says Blerim Burjani. He sees no hope that even after holding new elections, the country can be set on fire.

There will be elections again within 40 days, but not optimism for the solution to citizens' problems. The parties are recycled, the same are the same, as are the problems that come and accumulate and have no choice. Democracy is in complete confusion and uncertainty with this governance mentality with the state of”, Burjani says.

Kosovo ahead of economic collapse

Kosovo's government, led by Avdullah Hoti, is now in power for 200 days, but has always had trouble with adopting laws because it did not always have the number of 61 votes to pass laws. At this stage, the government has to approve the budget for 2021, and what appears to be trouble. Hoti's prime minister, said today that “is engaged and is in communication with the representatives of political parties that the current composition of the Parliament adopts the budget for next year, as well as some international agreements related to the” budget.

If it cannot do so, economic connoisseurs predict the country's collapse. Safet Gerjaliu, former head of the Kosovo Economic Ode, says that before moving to new elections, the assembly urgently must approve the budget in order to avoid financial collapse.

“Even after the Constitutional decision to the government, it has all the competencies of a legitimate government in office, so even in the event of the proposed budget vote, the new government, which will come out after elections to be held in 2021, has the right to review the proposed budget by the Government and the current Parliament. All of this with the sole goal of not paralysing Kosovo socially, economically, and in particular, that indemelic”, says Safet Gerjaliu. According to him, political parties should rise above their own interests and urgently vote on the budget for next year.

“The extreme politicisation of the important processes in Kosovo and the negative effects of the Devvi-19 pandemic have brought Kosovo ahead of the numerous challenges of political, economic, social and interregistering nature”, Gerjaliu says.

The Kosovo government, led by Abdullah Hoti, was approved in the assembly by 61 votes on three June, following the collapse of Albin Kurti's government with a no-confidence motion filed by coalition partner with Vetevendosje, the Democratic League of Kosovo LDK. Kurti was prime minister only 50 days, while his successor, Avdullah Hoti, has been prime minister for 200 days.

Following President Hashim Thaci's resignation, who was charged with war crimes by the Special Court, the post as acting president holds the speaker of the Vjosa Osmani Assembly, but no more than six months, even four months, respectively. Vjosa Osmani comes from the LDK, but since the collapse of the government Kurti, Osmani has shared political routes with the LDK, warning that in the upcoming elections he will compete with another political list of its own. It warns co-operation with Albin Kurti's party, the Vetevendosje movement. / DW/