Most minority deputies expose Kurti: No pressure from Serbia for government non-formation

Most of the representatives elected by non-Serb minorities in recent parliamentary elections have denied being pressured by Serbia not to allow the formation of the new government in Kosovo.

Adem Hoxha, who in the latest legislature became part of the Serbian List Parliamentary Group, was among the few MPs who did not answer the REL question of the Kosovo Security Council's claim that Serbia is trying to “sabotage the establishment of new institutions” and Kosovo's ninth legislature released from the February 9th parliamentary elections.

Awareers of political developments in the country say that the eventual opportunity for Serbia to try to “sabotage new institutions” is not disfellowshipped, but the Kosovo government in office and the Kosovo Security Council have offered no evidence or evidence to prove it.

On Sunday, April 6th, after the Kosovo Security Council meeting, headed by incumbent Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the Kosovo Government has declared through a media report, that “Serbia is now interfering with some of the deputies of non-Serb and non-Serb communities to sabotage the establishment of new institutions of the 9” legislature.

“at least from what has been introduced to us [in the government communiqué] there is no convincing evidence to support such sorrow, in addition to domestic political motives”, Free Europe Albert Krasniqi, from the Democracy Plus (D+) organisation in Pristina, tells Radio.

Zoran Saviq, of the nongovernmental organisation active in northern Mitrovica, tells Radio Free Europe that the Kosovo authorities' accusation that Serbia is attempting to “sabotage the establishment of new institutions” is unarranged.

We don't have concrete evidence here, but only a few insulins have appeared. We don't even have the evidence of the concrete deputies, for whom the claims are made. We don't even know exactly what this is about”, Saviq points out.

Free Europe Radio has been addressed to the Government of Kosovo with the question of which MPs Serbia is reportedly interfering to sabotage the establishment of new institutions or which communities they are from. But until the publication of this article, there is no answer.

The government of Serbia's Office for Kosovo has not returned answers to this issue.

The Vetevendosje Movement, as the winning party, in the February 9th elections has secured 48 seats in the Kosovo Assembly, which is not enough for the formation of the parliamentary majority and for forming the government, which requires at least 61 votes.

This party prefers to form the new Government with some of the parties of the non-US communities which have 20 seats guaranteed in the Kosovo Assembly.

Non-Serb minority communities have ten seats, while the Serbian List has won nine out of ten seats belonging to the Serb community.

Last week, Kosovo's incumbent prime minister -- at the same time chairman of the Vetevendosje (LVV) Movement, Albin Kurti -- has held meetings with minority political parties to consult about forming the country's new government.

He has not met with the Serbian List.

What do parties of non-Serb communities say?

To understand whether there has been any intervention or contact by Serbian authorities or the Serbian List, which has the backing of official Belgrade, Radio Free Europe has contacted most political parties in non-Serb minorities.

Fikrim Damka, the chairman of the Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo, who has won two seats in the Assembly, tells Radio Free Europe that neither he nor his co-party, elected MP Fidan Yildi, have received “no calls, no threats and no pressure from anyone, to sabotage the constitution's constitutionalisation and the formation of the new government.

We don't have it and we won't accept it if it comes. We are independent and represent the Turkish community”, Damka stressed.

Likewise, Yildi, who said there was no “any pressure”.

Elbert Krasniqi, director of the New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo (IRKD), political subject of the Egyptian community tells Radio Free Europe that none of the Serbian authorities or the Serbian List has been contacted on the issue of its participation in the new government.

There is no room for temptation or for blackmail from Serbia or anyone else in my direction. I am for the government, Kurti 3, and I work hard so that this can be accomplished soon”, Krasniqi, who is still part of Kurti's current government in office, stressed.

Even Emily Rexhepi of the New Democratic Party, which represents the Bosniak community, rejects any possibility of contact with Serbia's authorities or even the Serbian List.

I have no contact with them. No message, no phone call, no contact, nothing”, Rexhepi stressed.

Even Rasim Demiri from the Vacat Coalition, which also represents the Bosniak community with a seat in the Assembly, says there has been no contact with the authorities of Serbia and neither the Serbian List.

That means, we have information that some want to block institutions, so they don't want to vote. Who they are, who they are, I don't know. I am for [voting the constitution and formation of the Government]”, Demiri stressed.

Albert Kinoll of the United Rome Party, which has secured a seat in the Assembly, says no one has been contacted with the intention of blackmailing, and according to him, “is unlikely to be blackmailed by anyone”.

The “has never had any talks with any other party, except with the people who lead the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo”, Kinoll said.

The MP, elected by the Ashkali People's Party for Integration, Artan Aslan, was not complaining because he was abroad. But, the chairman of this party, Eem Arifi, rejects the possibility of having had any contact with Serbia's authorities.

The Ashkaranlys Party for Integration does not stand that, we never had a match, or any blackmail, or any request from them”, Arifi said.

Radio Free Europe has failed to contact elected MP Adem Hoxha from the Unic Gorane Party. He has not announced anything of the meeting he had with Kurt on April 3rd.

Hoxha, in the past legislature, did not belong to any parliamentary group, but after the 2019 elections, he abandoned Group Six plus of non-Serb communities' parties and in 2020 became part of the Serbian List parliamentary group.

REL's messages and phone calls have not been responded to either by elected MP Duda Bale from the subject representing the Bosnian community Social Democrat, as well as by deputy-elect Veton Berisha from the Egyptian Liberal Party.

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From civil society in Kosovo, they say the contents of the Kosovo Government's announcement, after the Kosovo Security Council meeting, are unclear and inconsistent.

Albert Krasniqi from Democracy Plus stresses that “the inequity and the sentences that came out of the Kosovo Security Council leave no room for the claim that Serbia is interfering with the constitution and forming the government in Kosovo to be taken seriously.

According to him, the motives of the Kosovo government's declaration most concern the problems the Vetevendosje Movement has for securing 61 votes for forming the new government.

When we see the list of political parties expanding, which is inviting the prime minister [the Kurti], it seems more likely that [the statement] has come from an internal embarrassment to secure votes or justify the failure to establish institutions, blaming Serbia for interfering in this” process, Krasniqi points out.

Similar thoughts are shared by Zoran Savic from the non-governmental organisation Active. However, he stresses that statements by Kosovo authorities, on charges against Serbia for interference in the process of creating the composition of Kosovo's new institutions, could increase tensions between the two countries.

That's what I'm understanding as a tension hike, before the conclusion of how the Government will be formed. Obviously, Kurt doesn't have the numbers he planned, even before the elections”, says Saviq.

Both connoisseurs and political developments estimated that the issues discussed at the Kosovo Security Council and the issue of Serbia's alleged intervention in the formation of Kosovo's new institutions have no logical connection.

In addition to the issue of forming institutions, according to the announcement, the Security Council has also discussed the hand grenade attack on the Kosovo Post Office in Zvecan on April 1st, but also on Saturday evening's “four Serbian pelegrins in Gjakova”. / REL/Periscopi/