“Virtual crash” that can lead to interistate tensions

The clashes between representatives of the presidency and the Government of Kosovo are public outbreaks of tensions and communication “abnormal” between these two institutions in the country, they estimate connoisseurs and political developments.

Kosovo President's request, Vjosa Osmani, for the Government of Kosovo on April 3rd, to suspend the 10 per cent customs fee for goods from the United States of America, there was a severe clash of social media communication between Iron Murat, the acting minister of finance, and Bekim Kupina, the president's media adviser.

Osman's request for Government came a day after US President Donald Trump imposed similar tariffs on imports from Kosovo, writes REL, broadcast Periscope.

The “appears that communication between the Presidency and Government is not at the best possible level, as it was at its beginning”, says Free Europe Radio Bekim Salihu from the Institute for Advanced Studies GAP.

Sociologist and political analyst Artan Mujaziri considers the online staff crash Presidency With a minister on duty “showing the gullibility of institutional political culture” in Kosovo.

The “is evidence of a mediocre idea that major problems between state pillars should be solved in a public way and not on the normal way of direct communication between the president and Prime Minister”, Muhramir points out.

Her request for Government, president Osman It was April 3rd on the social network X.

Her request was immediately answered by incumbent Murati, saying the president published it on social networks just three minutes after the request was submitted to the official address of the Government.

“Every serious state, these issues are treated away from the media, and the public is reported when the decision is made”, Murati wrote on the social Facebook network on April 2nd, adding that the topic of a free trade agreement with the US has been discussed by the Government with American officials since 2023.

To Murati's statement, the president's adviser, Kupina, who described the minister as the last <x0-human in this state that can tell us seriousness”.

In his Facebook response, Cupina accused the Mqira that “does not understand that, according to the Constitution and the commentator of the Constitution, the foreign policy objectives define the presidency institution”.

Who's right?
Among the Kosovo president's competencies are the country's foreign policy objectives, Salihu and Muhhaxhiri estimate.

They also agree that President Osmani's proposal for the Government for suspending the customs fee for American goods does not exceed its competencies, while neither does the publication on the social networks of this proposal violate the protocol rules of this institution.

However, they differ on the purpose and effect of this publication.

I saw this kind of unnecessary collision, like overblown by both sides. The fact that such a request has been published presents no violations, error, or deformity. Nowhere is it said, whether in the protocol or in the official areas, that the demands of this nature not be published”, Salihu points out.

Mujahiri shares his position on this point. But, he stresses that the harsh tones, which the representatives of the Presidency and Government have used during public communication through social networks, speak of another aspect of interilateral relations.

The fact that the Presidency and Government have chosen this way of communication shows that the main goal has been to announce Kosovo public opinion, to inform citizens, of the low level of relations between these two institutions and of any eventual conflict that will come due to the entry into the process of the election of the new president or president”, Mujari points out.

The five-year mandate of President Osmani will be completed in April next year.

An escaped crash
The joint journey of incumbent President Osmani and Prime Ministerial Government Albin Kurti began about four years ago.

But the colding of reports between them has been observed over the past year.

In May 2024, the presidency reacted by saying that the government did not consult him at all for a letter he had sent to the Council of Europe to let it know the intentions to draw up and submit to the Constitutional Court a draft state for the Association of Serb-run municipalities.

Kurti, in June of the same year, stressed that he does not believe there were inconsistent differences between him and other state leaders, including President Osmani.

However, recent clashes have restored tensions between the two institutions to the public's eyes, while praising connoisseurs and political developments.

Salihu underlines that the motives of differences between the presidency and the Government may be different, given the dislike for the positions each or the other has regarding topics, or certain developments.

The “noted, in the opinion, is seen as having a tension between the Presidency and Government”, Salihu says, and adds that the impact signals have had even earlier.

There have been signals [from Government] in some cases that they are not approved, or preferring the presidency's positions or the opposite. However, they are afraid and continue to fear both sides that the open clash between them is their political loss, more than they could win”, Salihu says.

Recent clashes through social networks view the country's <x0verture in a very exhausting and complicated process of electing President” in April of next year.

According to him, it remains to be seen whether President Osmani will compete for a second term.

But, as he says, Osman's reports with Kurti, whose party, Vetevendosje Movement, claims even a governing mandate, after winning the February 9th parliamentary elections are no longer the same as they were at their beginnings.

He points out that neither Kurt has the political power as in 2021 when he won over 50 percent of the votes in parliamentary elections held that year, nor does President Osmani, who was the most voted in those elections.

The political subject “Gux” of Osman and Kurt's Vetevendosje Movement competed in the 2021 elections on a joint electoral list.

On a joint list, these two subjects have also competed in the February 9th elections, where they won 42 percent of the vote, but “Gux” is no longer run by Osman, who left when the president took office in 2021.

According to Muharnir, the February 9th elections have not issued a party that would form the parliamentary majority and the new government alone, but requires coalitions, which will make <x0-Pazar political”, which includes the president's election in April 2026.

This situation, he says, will increase tensions between the presidency and the new government, which Kurti claims to form soon.

The next “The future period will be extremely conflicting. It is an extremely negative atmosphere in the Kosovo political spectrum. There is no will for cooperation, nor for realistic compromises. So, we will have populations, we will have naive, aggressive language, which will only damage the institutional image, but also the credibility of citizens to Kosovo institutions”, Muhramir points out.

Despite this, both connoisseurs and political developments, Salihu and Muhariri, have praised Osman's request for suspending the customs duties on American goods as reasonable.

Holding this fee, which, according to them, does not significantly affect Kosovo's economy, “is absurd”.

A government's eventual decision on suspending or removing this fee, as they estimated, would send positive signals from Kosovo to the US as a demonstration of the will for friendly co-operation between the two partner countries. /Periscope/