Progress Rama in Voice of America: Unfortunately, we've had sab run-offs and various blockades by the Government for the development of the capital.

Pristina municipality Chairman Progress Rama accused the Vetevendosje movement, that it has sabotaged and blocked projects for the capital's development. He provides examples of the ring and hospital in Pristina. But despite this situation, Rama says, Pristina has been transformed.

Rama is in the United States to attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20th.

During an interview for Voice of America, the head of the Pristina municipality responds to critics who accuse him of not solving traffic problems, garbage collection, or environmental pollution. Likewise, Mr. Rama speaks and on investigations launched by the Special Prosecutor on the 12m-euro tender for the establishment of the capital's Archictek service.

Rama says all legal procedures have been followed with the tender, naming it a major project that has helped transform Pristina.

Voice of America: Mr Rama, Kosovo is currently in an official election campaign for facing February 9th. Do you think something has changed from the previous elections, where your Democratic League party was ranked third. Is there any chance that the LDK will be the first force or even the second?

Progress Rama: The Democratic League of Kosovo has invited me to race for head of the capital. So it's the only party that has since started its immediate transformation, that is, the re-visiting of the party, reviewing the internal structures and doing a great job since then -- about three years ago -- when I won the race, that is, when I became head of the capital, mayor of Pristina, a race that was thought to be impossible to win. But we've already won it, and we've marketed that with an actual vision, with an analysis and an actual recognition of the problems, and with a vision for the future of the capital, there's nothing that can stop us. And this is already seen after more than three years in managing the capital.

Voice of America: But does the party have this winning vision ( The LKD for the general election?

Progress Rama: Yeah, we're working with Dr. Lumir Abdixhiku, who is chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, where internal structures have been restructured and reinstated, so it is a fantastic and winning team in the February 9th race. We have had a joint conference where we have also pledged investment in the capital to be 1.5 billion euros, investments that the capital needs because the capital is the largest taxpayers in the Kosovo budget. So 49.8 percent of Kosovo's entire budget is paid by businesses and citizens of the capital, so it is important that investments come first and bigger to the capital.

Voice of America: The logic you would think that a local government leader would prefer to have his own party in central power in order to advance projects and vision for the city. Have you felt problems in your work, given that the central government is the Vetevendosje movement. How will you define co-operation with the government?

Progress Rama: I think that in any normal government it shouldn't be a problem who is at the central level and who is in the locals, but that despite the fact that I've been neutral in terms of governance, so Pristina has been for all, so I've governed it, and I'm going to continue to govern it, looking at the union and not in division, unfortunately, we haven't had the support of the government, so we've had different sabotages and blockades in the development of the capital. For example, major projects such as ring and capital hospital. However, despite the fact that blockades and sabotages we have managed to realise the capital's budget by 80 percent, which is actually the most historic, the largest in the capital's history, as well as in capital investments 63 percent. Imagine if we had a more normal rule, if I called it that way, what we would have been able to do. We would have been able to do much more in the capital, but also throughout Kosovo.

Voice of America: But what would you say to your critics who were blamed for not solving the problems related to heavy traffic, narrowing car movement spaces, garbage collection problems, environmental pollution, illegal construction, or even other criticism of this nature?

Progress Rama: These are the problems I mentioned earlier. So the capital ring, a major project for the capital, which is already ready for two and a half years, blocked by the government. A 206 million project, in which 40 percent of all funds are actually grants from the European Community, continues to be blocked by the government. So this is a major project that would have eased and significantly improved traffic in the capital. With the information we get every day, we have 748 thousand entrances into the city, I'm saying access, so only from the IPKO mobile phone, we have this data. So imagine when we take those who have V phones. AlLA and others, we have about a million entrances. What does that mean? That nearly half of Kosovo comes every day to the capital and exits the capital, and this normal one causes traffic pressure in the capital. So big projects like the capital ring...

Voice of America: You mean the road, what's going on with it?

Progress Rama: We're still working on A Street now, but we've already won the trial three times, so we've been blocked. We went to court the first time, and we won it the second time and the third time. So they've been blocking our project for over six months. Major projects that are for the benefit of all citizens of the capital, not alone. So when they are for the capital, they are for all of Kosovo, because I mentioned that we are the biggest taxpayers in Kosovo's budget. So these are challenges. But it's not only this, there's also a shortage of school construction, we're building schools all around. We have already continued the whole day's lesson and this has turned into a problem because parents have had to send their children to school, not in the areas in which they live, but in the middle of the morning, and tore them at twelve o'clock, which has caused traffic problems. So when we have a city that's developing and it has fantastic energy, a positive energy and we're helping businesses and every citizen to come in, to work, to develop, it needs infrastructure, it needs cooperation with the central level. That's where we got 'em. But despite the fact, I'm saying that we don't have central support, we continue to transform the capital and continue with good and major projects for it.

Voice of America: Mr Rama, the Special Prosecutor has confirmed a few months ago that he has begun investigating the 12m-euro tender for the establishment of the capital's Archictek service. Do you believe all legal procedures were followed during the tender?

Progress Rama: But I have all the information that all legal procedures have been followed and normal that all contracts in the public spectrum have to be analyzed, see if anything is legal. I've welcomed these and welcomed them in the future. But the Capital's architect's contract is a major project that helps the capital transform. So far, not half of this contract has been spent, we have more than 65 projects for the good of the capital. For the first time, the capital has numerous projects where field work is also allowed to do better, faster, and planned. That's why I'm also saying we've achieved that realisation of the budget is historically bigger this year and we're going on the same path. Projects will continue and major projects despite the fact that we have blockades from the central level.

Voice of America: Will you run for Pristina?

Progress Rama: Of course I do. I've also said during my first run, which takes me eight years to transform the capital, we're in the process of transformation, so we've started transforming the capital. Pristina is now internationally recognised in terms of art, culture, big events, and also a good life, where even the technology sector, for example, has more than 35 thousand employees, where most of them are focused on the capital, with companies already bigger and bigger, and more from different countries coming to the capital, to establish their base.

Voice of America: How can the outcome of February 9th elections affect Pristina's fate in the autumn local elections?

Progress Rama: There will surely be interconnection, but I say if we have the right centre that wins the central level, then development not only in the capital, but in the entire territory of Kosovo will be better, more accelerated. If we have an extreme left then normal victory that will continue with obstacles. But we won't stop. The capital has its own law and power, so there is nothing that stops us from transforming Pristina, and with it all over the country.