Small number of Assembly sessions, MPs may give up part of the salary

The first session was held on December 26th, and the last was April 14th. The December 26th session had three points of the agenda: Forming the provisional Commission for verifying quorum and MP mandates. The oath-taking of MPs, as well as the election of Kosovo Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speakers of the Parliament. The April 14 session, however, had a starting point: The proposal and adoption of concrete economic and financial measures the Republic of Kosovo must take to overcome the challenges of economic recovery in addressing the consequences of the COVID-19.

Kosovo Assembly MPs had even more impossible to hold regular sessions as a result of the spread of this virus.

Contacted by Indesksonline, Kosovo Parliament Secretary Ismet Krasniqi has declared that MPs from the day of the Parliament's constitutionalisation until the end of the mandate realise the MP's salary.

While participating in plenary sessions and committee meetings are paid depending on the number of sessions or commissions held”, he added.

In all of this, Indexline has contacted Albert Krasniqi, analyst, as well as Kosovo Assembly Affairs Recognition.

Krasniqi stated that during this year, the Parliament has faced difficulties of various natures that have prevented it from doing the best possible work.

First was the delay in electing the new government, which took place at the beginning of February, as well as the second was confirming the first cases with COVID-19 in March, which reduced even more significantly the Parliament's activities.

The third “was the government's dismissal through the no-confidence motion at the end of March. All these political developments, and not only, have negatively affected the productivity of the Parliament's work and do not fulfill its” mandate, he said.

According to Krasniqi, MPs must be more insistent in exercising their mandate, regardless of political situations and that they must fulfil the representative role of citizens.

“This can be done through virtual meetings on different platforms that are offered today. Then, parliamentary commissions would have to take care of respect for human freedoms and rights, as there has been a tendency to restrict them arbitraryly and outside the government's legal authorisations. And through the plenary hearings, the Assembly as a whole would have to be in the help of the government to fight pandemic, no matter what the government is in charge. Adopting particular laws on pandemic, then reviewing economic packages that require legal changes would have to be the priority of the Assembly to come to the aid of citizens and businesses affected”, Krasniqi added

According to him, the non-developing of plenary sessions and committee meetings also affects MPs' monthly revenues, as they will not be compensated for these meetings by receiving only the basic wage.

The Deputates could voluntarily give up part of their salary as some have done to solidify with workers who have lost their jobs. But this is more symbolic than would have any direct impact. What would be more important for MPs to do is if through economic packages came to the aid of needy citizens. That would make the real difference”, Albert Krasniqi stressed.

Asked how you see the future job of this legislature, Krasniqi stressed that the job will depend on political developments that will follow after the Constitution comes up with the indictment regarding the president's controversial decree for the mandate to form the government.

“If LVV and PDK were to remain in opposition, the future government would face a strong opposition with which it would have to make many compromises to push its programme forward. Although, LVV would be in the country without its main figures. Likewise, if opposition parties were to pursue a destructive approach, we could see situations of blocking the work of the Assembly”, he concluded.