After almost seven months since the parliamentary elections, the Kosovo Assembly has elected a new speaker. Dimal Basha of the Vetëvendosje Movement received 73 votes in favor to take the post of speaker of the Assembly. Basha also received votes from the Democratic Party of Kosovo for this post. After him, the vice-presidents of the Albanian parties and the one of the non-majority non-Serb community were also elected. Delays have appeared in the proposal of the Serbian List for Slavko Simiqi. After three failures, the party did not propose any more names, and Speaker Basha decided to draw lots. And after some names also failed in the draw, Basha decided that the session would continue on Thursday. Without all the vice-presidents being elected, the Assembly is not considered constituted. Follow all the developments here
Haxhiu: I hope that by Thursday there will be opposition reflection
Acting Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, has said that she hopes that the opposition parties of the previous legislature will reflect and that Nenad Rashic will be voted on Thursday as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo.
Haxhiu, who was elected vice president, said that today there was a possibility of the removal of the representative of the Serbian List from the Presidency of the Assembly.
"Today there was a chance that the day would end with two pieces of good news. The constitution of the Assembly and the removal of the representative of the Serbian List from the Presidency of the Assembly. But unfortunately, the opposition had neither the will nor the necessary courage. For only six more votes, Mr. Nenad Rašić would have been elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. I hope that by Thursday there will be opposition reflection. Knowing that the chief terrorist Milan Radoićić is the formal chairman of the Serbian List, let us unite for Kosovo and especially in honor of our heroes, such as Enver Zymberi and Afrim Bunjaku," Haxhiu wrote on Facebook.
The constitution of the Assembly stagnated on Tuesday in the election of the deputy speaker from among the non-majority Serb community.
After Slavko Simić did not receive the necessary votes in three attempts, and the Serbian List did not propose any other options, it came down to a draw. After Vesna Čeranić, Stefan Kovačević were not voted in and Liljana Stefanović refused to be nominated, it was Nenad Rašić's turn.
He received 55 votes in favor, one against and 17 abstentions.
Osmani hopes that the Assembly will be constituted as soon as possible and the new government will be voted on.
Photo: Driton Paçarada
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has welcomed the beginning of the constitution of the new legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo.
On Tuesday, Dimal Basha was elected Speaker of the Assembly, while Albulena Haxhiu, Vlora Çitaku, Kujtim Shala and Emilia Rexhepi were elected Vice-Speakers.
The constitution has been blocked on the election of the vice-president from the non-majority Serb community. The next session will be held on Thursday.
Osmani hopes that the Assembly will be constituted as soon as possible and the new government will be voted on.
"The President welcomes that the process of constituting the Assembly has begun to be unblocked and hopes that this process will be concluded as soon as possible, in accordance with the constitution. She wishes good work in the interest of the country to the new President Dimal Basha and the elected Vice Presidents of the Assembly, Ms. Albulena Haxhiu, Ms. Vlora Çitaku, Mr. Kujtim Shala and Ms. Emilija Redžepi. The President hopes that as soon as possible, and in accordance with constitutional procedures, the Assembly will also vote on the new Government that emerged from the will of the citizens in the February 9 elections," the Presidency's announcement states.
Murati: PDK and LDK should support Rashiq for deputy speaker of the Assembly
Photo: KSP
The constitution of the Kosovo Assembly has stalled at the vote for the deputy speaker from among the non-majority Serb community.
The Serbian List insisted on the name of Slavko Simić, who did not receive the necessary votes.
Nor did Serbian MP Nenad Rašić from the "Freedom, Justice and Survival" party, who nominated himself for vice president by the Serbian community, receive enough votes, even though his name was drawn by lot.
However, Vetëvendosje MP Hekuran Murati is asking PDK and LDK to support Rašić for deputy speaker of the Assembly, since according to him, this would exclude the Serbian List from the Presidency of the Assembly.
MP Murati says that if the same stance of PDK and LDK continues, the case could be lost in the Constitutional Court and thus the constitution of the Kosovo Assembly could fail.
"Today we had a Parliamentary Group, like the LDK, that refused to participate in the vote, despite the fact that the Constitutional Court's judgment emphasizes that MPs are obliged to participate in the vote. Meanwhile, on the other hand, we also had PDK MPs who abstained. I hope that during these next 48 hours there will be a reflection and PDK, LDK, AAK and Nisma, who were not present at all today in the hall, will return to the session the day after tomorrow and vote for candidate Nenad Rašić, in order to conclude the constitution of the Assembly. If the PDK and LDK votes are repeated, either by not participating like the LDK or by abstaining, then the message is also conveyed that no MP from the Serbian community receives the votes for vice president, and thus the case can be sent to the Constitutional Court and lost. Meanwhile, if we have the opportunity to secure four or five more votes "If the Albanian parties vote for MP Nenad Rašić as vice-president, then the Assembly is constituted and it is achieved that the Serb List is not in the Presidency of the Assembly," he emphasized.
Murat said that all candidates from the Serbian List are unacceptable for the Vetëvendosje political entity, since, according to him, they are implicated in the terrorist attack in Banjska.
The constitutive session has been interrupted, while it was to continue on Thursday from 11:00. In today's session, the deputies, despite electing the speaker and deputy speakers from the three major Albanian parties, as well as one from the non-Serbian communities, failed to elect the deputy speaker from the Serbian community.
Today, during the day, with 73 votes in favor, Dimal Basha was elected Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo./KSP
Abdixhiku: The vote of the two former opposition parties for Dimal Basha was a gross mistake
Photo: KSP
The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, considers the vote of the two parties, PDK and AAK, to elect Dimal Basha as parliamentary speaker a gross mistake. He said that the LDK "cannot be happy with the quality of the people who represent these institutions."
After the session was adjourned, since the deputies failed to elect the deputy speaker from the Serbian community, Abdixhiku made a statement regarding the election of the speaker of parliament.
"I believe that today the difference in values that we have with them is very clear, both in terms of respecting the Constitution, but also in terms of the content of the people that we believe should lead the institutions of Kosovo, and this crystal clear difference was crowned today with the triumph of ignorance, with the triumph of the divisive, divisive voice, but I hope that the voters of the first party today feel represented in what they received from the first party. I also feel that the vote of the other two parties of the former opposition, PDK and AAK, to give such a name to the institutions of Kosovo is a gross mistake. However, this is the will of the 73 majority deputies, the LDK respects this will, it is an institutional party, but it cannot be happy with the quality of the people who represent these institutions", declared Abdixhiku.
He said that the institutions will be plunged into another crisis of the Constitutional Court's interpretation regarding the Serbian minority countries.
"As for the rest, it is now a constitutional issue, I believe that we will enter another crisis of interpretation of the Constitutional Court, regarding the places of minorities in the Republic of Kosovo, primarily the Serbian minority, which must have clarity regarding the right to propose in this regard. And what is unfortunate is that Kosovo should not remain with institutions hostage to the will of Belgrade. Imagine tomorrow a situation where the Serbian List does not propose a name at all, and then the entire institution of Kosovo remains blocked. So, we cannot allow this practice and I believe that here a major political concession has occurred by the new president, but also by the first party," he added.
The leader of the LDK said that they do not participate in processes, as he said, that they do not consider constitutional.
"We do not participate in processes that we do not consider constitutional in the first place and for this reason we maintain a principled position in this regard. So, this is our position and let's see how the majority of the Assembly members will vote further and have their positions in the future," he said.
After the session was adjourned, PDK leader Memli Krasniqi was asked by journalists whether the Parliament had been unblocked, to which he briefly said "no no, it has not been done yet"./KSP
British Ambassador calls for the Assembly to be constituted as soon as possible
The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, has called on political parties to take the next steps as soon as possible and constitute the Assembly and form the new government.
Hargreaves welcomed the election of the Speaker of the Assembly. Dimal Basha was elected Speaker on Tuesday, while the full constitution of the Assembly has stalled with the election of the Deputy Speaker from the non-majority Serb community. The session has been postponed to Thursday.
"The election of the Speaker of the Assembly is a welcome development and shows that political compromise in the interest of the country is possible if the will exists. I call on the political parties in Kosovo to take the next steps as soon as possible and complete the formation of the Assembly and the new government," Hargreaves wrote on Facebook.
Rohde on not reconstituting the Assembly: There is not enough political will
The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, commenting on the failure to reconstitute the Assembly because the majority of MPs refused to vote for the deputy speaker from the Serbian List, said that the protagonists do not have the political will to find a solution and that this is bad for Kosovo.
He told the media that he was hopeful that the crisis could be resolved, but at this moment it does not seem possible.
"I think this morning I had a brief hope that the crisis could be resolved, but at this moment it does not seem possible. Maybe there is not enough political will among the protagonists to find a solution. This is bad for Kosovo, because a lot of funds are at stake and we need functional institutions, like the parliament and the government," he said./ KP
The Assembly is not constituted again
Photo: Driton Paçarada
Even though the president and four vice presidents were elected, the Assembly has still not been constituted.
The entire process has stalled in the election of the deputy speaker from among the Serb community. The Serb List with nine MPs has proposed the name of Slavko Simić for deputy speaker. However, the only Serb MP who does not belong to this group, Nenad Rašić, has also taken the floor and proposed his own name for deputy speaker.
Slavko Simić failed to receive the votes to take the position of deputy mayor three times in a row, while his party refused to propose another name.
The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Dimal Basha, noting that the Serb List did not want to propose a second name for deputy speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, has decided that the proposal from this entity will be drawn by lot.
Basha's decision came after the Serbian List failed in three attempts to elect the deputy speaker of the Assembly, Slavko Simic. Basha said that the Constitutional Court's ruling has ruled that the same name can be proposed for the election of the speaker and deputy speakers up to three times and no more.
Four candidates emerged from the draw for voting (Vera Čeranić, Stefan Kovačević, and Nenad Rašić, along with Liljana Stefanović who refused to be voted for vice president), three of them were voted in, but none received the votes to take the position of vice president, which led to the postponement of the session to Thursday.
Before the minority deputy chairmen were voted on, the deputies elected four deputy chairmen. Albulena Haxhiu of the Vetevendosje Movement, Vlora Çitaku of the Democratic Party and Kujtim Shala of the Democratic League. were chosen by majority vote. The deputies have also approved the proposal of the non-majority, non-Serb communities, for voting for the vice-chairs on a rotating basis. From this group, the rotating vice-chairs will be Emilja Rexhepi, Fidan Gjilta and Artan Asllani.
Eugen Cakolli from KDI said that the two vice-presidents from the communities should have been voted in a package, following the logic and practice so far of voting for the other three vice-presidents.
Even Rashiqi fails to become deputy speaker of the Assembly
Even Nenad Rašić has not managed to obtain a majority to be elected deputy speaker of the Kosovo Assembly from the ranks of the Serbian community.
He received 55 votes in favor. One was against and 17 abstained.
Previously, deputies from the Serbian List failed to vote.
After this vote, President Basha decided to adjourn the session until Thursday.
Liljana Stefanović refuses to be nominated for vice-president
Liljana Stefanović was the next name drawn in the draw for vice president from the Serbian community.
The Serbian List MP, however, has refused to have her name put on the ballot.
Chairman Dimal Basha decided that she should be eliminated from the draw.
After her, the lot fell again to MP Čeranić, who also refused to participate.
Stefan Kovacevic doesn't get the votes either
Stefan Kovačević is the next name from the Serbian List to fail to become deputy speaker of the Kosovo Assembly.
His name was chosen by lot.
He did not receive a single vote in favor, while 48 were against and 19 abstained.
Even Čeranić of the Serbian List does not receive votes, the draw continues
Verica Čeranić of the Serbian List was the first name in the draw for deputy speaker of the Assembly from among the Serbian community.
However, this MP did not receive enough votes either. Čeranić did not even receive a single vote.
She is being voted in for the second time in the draw.
Serbian List refuses, lottery for vice president not stopped
The Serbian List has refused to participate in the draw for the election of the vice-president from among the Serbian community.
Only the chairman Dimal Basha, the Serb MP not from the Serbian List, Nenad Rašić, and the secretary of the Assembly are participating in this commission.
After that, the names will be drawn by lot, and whoever is chosen will be voted on. If it does not receive a majority, it will be moved on to the next name.
Cakolli: The deputy heads of communities should have been voted in packages, LDK violated the Constitution
Eugen Cakolli from KDI said that the two vice-presidents from the communities should have been voted in a package, following the logic and practice so far of voting for the other three vice-presidents.
According to him, there cannot be two candidates for the same position of vice-president from among the communities - Serb and others.
He added that the right to propose belongs only to the majority of deputies from that community.
"However, even if a violation is alleged in this process, the condition for addressing it to the Constitutional Court is the initiation by at least 10 deputies. And according to the political composition of the Assembly, among the community in question, that number is missing," he said, adding that the procedure is clear.
Albulena Haxhiu of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Vlora Çitaku of the Democratic Party and Kujtim Shala of the Democratic League have been elected deputy speakers of the Assembly of Kosovo. The same were voted in a package, separately from the deputy speakers of the non-majority parties. In favor of their vote, in a package, were 101 deputies. Nine from the Serbian List abstained.
The Democratic League of Kosovo did not participate in the vote for Slavko Simić for Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
"All points of the judgment, including the obligation to participate in the vote, follow the procedures provided for in the Rules of Procedure, as well as the need for consultations and compromise, also apply to the election of the deputy speakers of the Assembly. Failure to comply with them constitutes a violation of the Judgment, which is equivalent in legal weight to that for the speaker. The 30-day deadline (until September 17) will be in force until the election of the remaining deputy speaker," he wrote.
Asked whether the LDK violated the Constitution by not participating in the vote, Cakolli affirmed this.
"LDK and several other MPs are violating the verdict, and consequently the Constitution. Likewise, the Constitution will be violated if the same MP from the Serbian community is proposed again," he responded.
The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Dimal Basha, has concluded that the Serb List did not want to propose a second name for deputy speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo and has decided that the proposal from this entity will be drawn by lot.
Basha's decision came after the Serbian List failed in three attempts to elect the deputy speaker of the Assembly, Slavko Simic. Basha said that the Constitutional Court's ruling has ruled that the same name can be proposed for the election of the speaker and deputy speakers up to three times and no more.
The Serbian community's proposal for vice president is made by drawing lots.
The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Dimal Basha, has concluded that the Serb List did not want to propose a second name for deputy speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo and has decided that the proposal from this entity will be drawn by lot.
Basha's decision came after the Serbian List failed in three attempts to elect the deputy speaker of the Assembly, Slavko Simic. Basha said that the Constitutional Court's ruling has ruled that the same name can be proposed for the election of the speaker and deputy speakers up to three times and no more.
After inviting the Serbian List on several occasions to propose the second name and this did not happen, he decided to conduct the procedure through a lottery.
What does the Assembly's regulation say about proposals from community entities for deputy speakers of the Assembly?
6.1. The candidate for Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from the ranks of the Serbian community is proposed by the majority of the deputies of the Serbian community, and
6.2. The candidate for Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from among the deputies of other communities that are not in the majority shall be proposed by the majority of the deputies of other communities that are not in the majority.
7. In the event of failure to propose candidates pursuant to paragraph 6 of this Article, the proposal of candidates shall be made by drawing lots, in the presence of the deputies of the respective communities. This procedure shall be administered by the President of the Assembly.
Serbian List intends to nominate Simic four times, Basha does not allow it
Igor Simić, representative of the Serbian List, has proposed the name of Slavko Simić for the fourth time in a row for the position of deputy mayor. However, mayor Dimal Basha said that in the spirit of the verdict, it is emphasized that appointments should only be proposed three times with the same name.
"There cannot be a different standard for president and another for vice president," he said, requesting another name for the proposal for vice president.
In the same scenario, Igor Simić has come forward several times to propose the same name, arguing that the verdict was for the president and not the vice president.
And Basha told him that if he doesn't propose another name, it will be done by drawing lots.
VIDEO: The moment when Simiqi is proposed for the fourth time
Slavko Simić fails in the third vote
Slavko Simić failed to become vice president in the third round of voting. He again received only 10 votes.
There were 56 MPs against and 21 abstained.
Before the third proposal, the Speaker of the Assembly, Dimal Basha, did not allow Igor Simiqi to extend his speech as he thanked him for "respecting the Constitution of Kosovo, but the proposal must be made."
Slavko Simić fails in the second vote
Slavko Simić failed to become vice president in the second round of voting. He again received only 10 votes.
There were 56 MPs against. 21 abstained.
In the second proposal, Igor Simić, as a representative of the Serbian List, said that this proposal is made with the "majority of deputies from the Serbian community." The Serbian List has nine seats out of the 10 reserved seats. The tenth seat belongs to deputy Nenad Rašić.
The Assembly rejects Slavko Simic for vice president
The Kosovo Assembly has voted against Slavko Simiqi for vice president.
He received only 10 votes in favor.
55 deputies from the Vetëvendosje Movement and non-majority communities voted against, and 23 abstained.
Serbian List proposes Simic for vice-president, Rashiq himself
The Serbian List with nine MPs has proposed the name of Slavko Simić for vice president.
However, the only Serbian MP who does not belong to this group, Nenad Rašić, took the floor and proposed his name for vice-president.
Haxhiu, Çitaku and Shala – deputy speakers of the Assembly
Albulena Haxhiu of the Vetevendosje Movement, Vlora Çitaku of the Democratic Party and Kujtim Shala of the Democratic League have been elected deputy speakers of the Kosovo Assembly.
There were 101 MPs in favor of voting for them, in the package. Nine from the Serbian List abstained.
The deputies have also approved the proposal of the non-majority, non-Serb communities, to vote for the rotating vice-chairs. From this group, the rotating vice-chairs will be Emilja Rexhepi, Fidan Gjilta and Artan Asllani.