Basha: Voting in batches for the deputy speakers of the Assembly, then also for the formation of the Government

"After all the discussions, there was full consensus and it was a proposal of all political parties or leaders of parties of non-majority, non-Serb communities. Their proposal was clear, to go to the vote in a package, that is, to vote in a package for the five vice-presidents. There was consensus on the report, the president, there was consensus to vote in a package for the five vice-presidents. The establishment of institutions is expected very soon, then to continue with the vote on the government and then of course, as you know, we are waiting for the vote on the budget, on international agreements that have a deadline," said the speaker of the previous legislature of the Assembly, Dimal Basha, after the meeting of the Presidency

The Speaker of the previous legislature of the Assembly, Dimal Basha, said that representatives of parliamentary parties have agreed that in the constitutive session, called for Wednesday, the five deputy speakers will be voted on in a package.

He said this after a meeting with party representatives in preparation for the session, which President Vjosa Osmani has called for Wednesday at 12:00. But the starting time was changed during the meeting of the Presidency of the Assembly at the request of the Democratic Party (PDK), since the closing statements of the defense teams of the former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders, who are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, will be presented in The Hague.

"The leaders of the political entities have agreed that the constitutive session meeting will be held at 17:00 PM, and then continue with the Government vote," Basha said.

He said that during the meeting there was consensus on all agenda items related to the constitution, while warning that the institutions will be established very soon.

"After all the discussions, there was full consensus and it was a proposal of all political parties or leaders of parties of non-majority, non-Serb communities. Their proposal was clear, to go to the vote in a package, that is, to vote in a package for the five vice-presidents. There was consensus on the report, the president, there was consensus to vote in a package for the five vice-presidents. The establishment of institutions is expected very soon, then to continue with the vote on the government and then of course, as you know, we are waiting for the vote on the budget, on international agreements that have a deadline," Basha said after the Presidency meeting.

The issue of the Serbian deputy mayor has been part of an institutional deadlock that lasted for almost 12 months last year. The Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) insisted that the deputy mayor not be from the Serbian List, a party of Kosovo Serbs that has the support of official Belgrade. Ultimately, Nenad Rashiqi was voted in as deputy mayor with the votes of the Democratic League (LDK).

Regarding this issue, in a decision made a few days ago, the Constitutional Court found that a violation was committed when Rashiq was elected to this position, who was proposed through a draw after the Serbian List nominees failed to secure the necessary 61 votes.

The Constitutional Court has ruled that the right to propose a deputy speaker is reserved for the majority of deputies from the Serb community, which in this legislature includes the nine deputies from the Serb List. The decision has been criticized by Albin Kurti's LVV.

LVV expects rapid formation of institutions

The LVV announced on Tuesday that they will respect the Constitutional Court's decision regarding the election of the vice president from among the Serbian community.

The vice-chairman of this party, and former speaker of the Parliament, Glauk Konjufca, has said that he expects that in addition to the constitution of the Parliament, the Government will also be formed on Wednesday.

"We have never rejected the judgments of the Constitutional Court. Until now, the Vetëvendosje Movement has consistently, of course, been political battles, but when the Constitutional Court has given its stamp, as was the case for example in 2014 when it said that you cannot form a majority, only the winner of the elections should form a majority, we withdrew and continued according to the opinion of the Court," he emphasized.

The leader of the LVV and acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has not indicated how the first session of the tenth legislature will proceed.

"Tomorrow we will fulfill our obligation for the constitutive session and I believe that everything will go well," he said.

A day earlier, the Central Election Commission (CEC) certified the results of the December 28 snap parliamentary elections.

According to CEC data, the Vetëvendosje Movement has won 51.10 percent of the votes, securing 57 seats in the Assembly. After it, the second force in the Assembly with 22 seats secured is the Democratic Party (PDK), which has won 20.19 percent of the votes. The Democratic League (LDK) is third with 13.24 percent of the votes won and 15 seats secured in the Assembly, followed by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) with 5.50 percent of the votes, or six seats.

Of the seats reserved for the Serb minority, nine were won by the Serbian List and one seat by the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival. 

The process of certifying the electoral results has been delayed due to the need to recount all votes in this process, as there have been suspicions of manipulation of the votes of candidates for deputies.

Dozens of people have been taken into custody, hundreds more have been interviewed on suspicion of vote manipulation, while investigative and judicial processes are expected to continue. Party votes have not been affected.

Once the constitutional issue is concluded, the way is opened for the formation of a new government. The president must mandate someone from the winning party, in this case the LVV, as prime minister.

According to the laws, the mandated person has 15 days to present the new composition of the executive to the Assembly and seek the support of at least 61 MPs. Unlike last time, Kurti is expected to have no difficulty in making the numbers for the Government, as his party alone has won 57 seats in the Assembly, and Basha announced that the session on the executive will be held on February 11.

The president's issue

In addition to constituting the Assembly and voting on the new Government, MPs have another task ahead: electing the new president.

The new president must be voted in by March 4 – the deadline for electing a new president. President Osmani’s term ends on April 4, but the new president cannot be elected later than 30 days before that date. Osmani has expressed her intention to serve another five-year term. However, it remains unclear whether she will be able to secure the necessary support.

Osmani has been criticized several times during her mandate for siding with the Vetëvendosje Movement.
In an interview with Radio Free Europe at the end of December, she said that if she does not win another mandate, she will return to political engagement, without specifying which party.
The LVV chairman told the media a few days ago that he had spoken with Osmani about the issue of the president, but that, according to him, there should be a new relationship with the opposition parties on the issue of the new head of state.

According to the Constitution, the new president is elected by secret ballot, and anyone who wants to run must collect the signatures of at least 30 deputies. The head of state is elected with two-thirds of the votes in the first two rounds of voting, but if there are not enough votes in these two rounds, then the candidate who receives the majority of the votes of the deputies is elected in the third round.

If the presidential election fails, new elections are automatically announced, which must be held within 45 days.