Government Without Consensis for New AKI Director

This post remained at large, since Kreshnik Gashi cleared the post at the request of incumbent Prime Minister Hoti. Hoti's request was supported by the president's U.D., Osmani.

In the presidency and the government do not confirm whether they have institutional communication to elect the new AKI director, just as it is put forward in the law.

Based on the Law for AKI, Article 5.3 determines that the <x0 president of the Republic of Kosovo, together with the prime minister, appoints the AKI director together within 20 days of work from the day the position remains at large”.

Gashi was asked to free his position on December 17th, 2020, but no official details have been given, on the exact date he has released this position.

Are legal deadlines being violated?

The incumbent Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, had declared to local media in late 2020 that “has submitted to the presidency, his proposal to the new AKI director”.

Radio sources Free Europe confirm that the prime minister's proposal is a “personality that served in AKI, which has even had position within this institution”. The same sources stress that Hoti has offered another name both, but has so far received no answer from Osman.

At the presidency, they insist they are within the legal deadline.

The “Ende is in the legal deadline for the appointment of the new AKI chief”, Vice President Vjosa Osmani's press adviser, Bekim Kupina, said in a short response to Radio Free Europe.

He added that President Osmani's “will make its proposal as stated by the Kosovo Law and Constitution”, without specifying whether it implies a new name from the one proposed by the incumbent prime minister, Hoti.

Within three months, incumbent Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has twice dismissed Ilir Murtezaj from the post of Kosovo Tax Administration director.

Antigona Bajzak, political adviser to incumbent Prime Minister Hoti, told Radio Free Europe that in the government's view, the president's Vjosa Osmani's Vjosa has the right to have her proposal for the new AKI director, as this is determined by law”.

“However, the final decision cannot be taken without compliance between the president and incumbent prime minister”, Bajzak said.

If taken for base, the prime minister's due date, addressed to former AKI director Kressnik Gashi, the new AKI director must be named farther this week.

Call for Political Director

Security Affairs expert Agim Musliu tells Radio Free Europe that the political class should be attentive and cautious when included in changing security segment leaders, separately the secret service.

As long as politics puts its hands on the security segment, the more we will have deviation. This will make the security segment, including AKI, but police and army or emergency services, and the other”, Musliu said.

He sees it important not to appoint political people in this position but to those who have witnessed in the field of security.

It's my personal opinion that someone who has developed professional activity or contributed to the security field should be appointed to this position. It's important to be familiar with the challenges of the security segment and to have adequate” experience, Musliu estimates.

According to him, the Law on AKI must be amended.

“Autoriations of this service must grow and go beyond this current” framework, Musliu adds.

He estimates that the so frequent shift of AKI leaders causes confusion and uncertainty even within just the country's secret service.

The last fired AKI director, Kreshnik Gashi, was appointed to this position on November 25th of 2019, by former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and former President Hashim Thaci.

Similarly, Kresnik Gashi has held the position of chairman of the Kosovo Board of Regulatory Communications and Post Communications Authority. He has been appointed to the helm of AKI, following the resignation of Shpend Maxhunt in 2019.

In 2017 and Agron Selimaj had resigned from the AKI leadership. Meanwhile, in 2015, the resignation of the AKI leader has also given the Smaj Union.

Otherwise, AKI is the agency for security and intelligence, which by law, <x0analyse and distribute intelligent products quickly, legally and accountable to the president, prime minister and other competent institutions”.

The AKI director, who is appointed for a five-year term with the possibility of continuing, responds directly to the prime minister.