Haxhiu becomes speaker of parliament, Kurti becomes prime minister

The Kosovo Assembly, in its constitutive session held on Wednesday evening, elected the speaker and five vice-speakers, and a few hours later, in an extraordinary session, elected the new Government. Albulena Haxhiu was elected Speaker and Albin Kurti Prime Minister, both from the Vetëvendosje Movement, the party that won 51 percent of the citizen support in the December 28 elections. The strength of the numbers in the Assembly made it easy for both of them to secure 66 votes each.

Kosovo is emerging with new institutions after almost a year without a functioning Assembly and a government in office, and nearly two months since early elections were held. In the constitutive session held on Wednesday, the Assembly elected the Speaker and five Deputy Speakers, and shortly before midnight of the same day, the new Government. 

Albulena Haxhiu was elected Speaker of the Assembly with 66 votes in favor, 44 against and 8 abstentions. While the five deputy speakers who were voted for in the package were Ardian Gola (LVV), Vlora Çitaku (PDK), Kujtim Shala (LDK), Slavko Simić (Serb community) and Emilja Rexhepi (other minority communities). 

The constitution of the Assembly paved the way for the voting of the new Government. After the mandate of the candidate proposed by the LVV, Albin Kurti, an extraordinary session was held.  

66 MPs voted for the new cabinet proposed by Kurti, while 49 MPs were against. There were no abstentions.

Haxhiu with a unifying speech: My door is open to every MP

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Albulena Haxhiu received 174 votes in the last elections and was the most voted female candidate for MP. In the legislature that emerged from the February 9, 2025 elections, Haxhiu was proposed by the LVV six times in a row for Speaker of the Parliament, but did not receive enough votes.
In his first speech after taking office, Haxhiu gave a unifying message. 

She asked the MPs to overcome political divisions on topics that, according to her, affect the future of the country.

"Despite the fact that our differences are real, we share responsibilities. The Assembly is the place where decisions are made and confronted, but this institution, beyond rules and procedures, is the place where citizens measure our seriousness. They see if we know how to get out of daily calculations when the future of the country is affected. Therefore, I invite you to develop debates with arguments, to accompany criticism with irresponsibility, and to keep differences within mutual respect. It is not necessary to think alike, but it is necessary to work in the same direction in the service of the Republic of Kosovo and its citizens," said Haxhiu.

The former Minister of Justice pledged in the previous mandate that she would exercise the duty of president with impartiality, integrity and full institutional commitment.  

"My door will be open to any MP who brings ideas, criticism or proposals that strengthen a functional assembly and a modern republic. I invite you to turn our political differences into energy that propels us forward with the great responsibilities that await us," said the new Speaker of the Assembly. 

Haxhiu expressed the expectation that the four former leaders of the Liberation Army - Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi - will be released, in the judicial process that is nearing its end.  

"Today we debate freely in this hall thanks to the great sacrifice of our people for freedom, including the liberation war of the KLA. Today we come here after we had the hearing against the former leaders of the KLA all day. The history of the people of Kosovo is clear and fair. The KLA war was a fair war for liberation, it is known who the aggressor was, who committed crimes. Those crimes were committed by Serbia, which never faced justice seriously, on the contrary, the war criminals were recycled into power and were amnestied. We expect the former leaders of the KLA to return to the country as soon as possible, and for these attempts by the Prosecutor's Office to end as soon as possible," she said.

Abdixhiku says LDK will be a voice of reason

The constitutive meeting was scheduled to start at 12:00. However, at the meeting of the Assembly presidency, it was moved to 17:00, because the final statement of the defense of Thaçi and Veseli was being held during the day in The Hague. 

Before the start of the session, Democratic Party MPs Vlora Çitaku and Përparim Gruda proposed the adoption of a resolution on the Hague process, right from the first working session of the new Parliament.

Gruda said that this resolution requires that the process in The Hague return to the tracks of European standards for a fair and impartial trial. He requested that the Ombudsman also fulfill his duty in this regard. 

Immediately after the PDK MPs' conference, the constitutive session began, and the Temporary Committee was formed to verify the quorum and MPs' mandates as the first item on the agenda.  

The swearing-in of the deputies was followed by the election of the speaker. Unlike the last legislature, the election of the deputy speakers, including one from the Serbian community, was also concluded quickly.  

After the constitution of the Assembly, representatives of several political entities have reacted. 

LDK Chairman Lumir Abdixhiku said that the party he leads will be the voice of reason in the Assembly. 
"With full responsibility and high awareness of the trust received, our representatives begin their mandate dedicated to legality, democracy and public interest. LDK will be the voice of reason, institutional stability and a functional state, in the service of Kosovo and its citizens, in the Kosovo Assembly and outside it," said Abdixhiku. 

Meanwhile, AAK MP Besnik Tahiri commented on the voting of the deputy chairmen in the package. 

"AAK abstained in two votes because both then and now it is in favor of the constitution of the Assembly. It has given alternatives and proposals so that it does not come on this day when Kosovo lost and when the citizens received the results and were extremely damaged. This package of deputy mayors undoubtedly solved a problem. This package was a kind of camouflage of the voting for the deputy mayors, at one time Slavko Simiqi was not accepted, he was called a terrorist when he was alone, while when he entered the package he was voted. This is a situation that must be unmasked and told to the citizens of Kosovo", declared Tahiri.

Kurti promises 1 billion euro investment in defense

The Kosovo Assembly, in an extraordinary session held on Wednesday, voted to form the Kurti 3 Government. The session to form the Government was held after the constitutive session where the X legislature was inaugurated, resulting from the elections held on December 28 and after the mandate of Albin Kurti as Prime Minister by President Vjosa Osmani.  

"Today, in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo, I have appointed Prime Minister Albin Kurti, prime minister-designate for the formation of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. I wish him success in leading the new Government and working in the service of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. Good luck to you," Osmani announced, before the session for the formation of the Government began. 

Prime Minister-designate Albin Kurti began his address to the Assembly by saying that the proposal of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office to sentence former KLA leaders to 45 years in prison contradicts the truth and denies the historical and political context of our liberation war.

He explained that the session on the formation of the Government and the constitutive session of the Assembly were held late due to the trial of former KLA leaders in The Hague, Hashim Thaçi, Jakup Krasniqi, Rexhep Selim and Kadri Veseli. 

"The prosecution's request for a sentence of 45 years in prison for each of them, which also includes allegations of crimes against humanity, is an attempt that contradicts the truth and denies the historical and political context of our liberation war. The position of the Government of the Republic that I lead remains clear: crimes against humanity were committed in Kosovo against the Albanian civilian population, they were committed by the Yugoslav regime of Serbia under Milosevic. This is documented and internationally recognized. The equation between the leaders of the KLA and a genocidal regime is unsustainable," Kurti said.

In his speech to MPs, Kurti promised that in the next four years of his government, he will invest 1 billion euros in defense.

"In the next four years, we will strengthen alliances, invest 1 billion euros in defense, recruit new soldiers, multiply the number of officers, operationalize the ammunition factory, develop Kosovo's military industry, and produce 'Made in Kosovo' combat drones," Kurti promised.

Kurti also spoke about the dialogue process, saying that we will pursue the normalization of relations with Serbia through constructive and creative dialogue.

"We will pursue the normalization of relations with our northern neighbor, Serbia, through constructive and creative dialogue, through our basic Brussels agreement and the Ohrid implementation annex. But as we have done in the past four years, normalization is a matter of regulating relations between two states, that is, as a bilateral external relationship and not intervention or meddling in internal affairs. The government will protect and implement the Constitution and the laws in force in every corner of our country," Kurti said. 

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He said that they will continue to support the Berlin Process. 

"We will continue to strongly support the Berlin Process and the regional common market on the basis of equality and equal representation because we believe that good European neighborliness and regional cooperation contribute to both peace and security. We will work with anyone who extends a hand of cooperation on the basis of mutual respect," Kurti emphasized. 

He has promised that in the next mandate they will launch the "Superpuna" project, while support, according to him, will not be lacking for the elderly either. 

"And for all the progress made in reducing inequality through maternity benefits. The 'Superpuna' project for women will begin. When a woman is employed, the government supports her with a minimum wage of 500 euros for 6 months. Grandparents who take care of children receive an additional 100 euros per month on top of their basic pension. We are not only helping parents and grandparents, but also the family and the economy," Kurti said.  

Tahiri addresses Kurti: Do you know that you have established a government cabinet the size of China?

Besnik Tahiri, from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, has criticized the prime minister-designate, Albin Kurti, for the government cabinet he presented to the deputies. He said that the cabinet presented is an accommodation of a government that aims to push a purely partisan agenda. Tahiri added that the cabinet presented by Kurti has a large number of ministers for a state like Kosovo.
"We are here today on a day when as MPs we should reflect on a program, an exposition, a cabinet of this government that we have neither seen nor read, but we have heard from the candidate for prime minister on this podium. In fact, he read it so quickly that I was surprised that this is the largest government. The government that has 21 ministers and deputy prime ministers, a cabinet of 21 members. Prime Minister, do you know what you said when you took office, do you know that you established a government cabinet that is the size of a country like China, not Kosovo?", he said.

AAK has previously stated that it will not vote for the new government.

The Serb List, which has 9 MPs, has not given its support to the formation of the Kurti 3 Government either. Igor Simiqi, an MP from this entity, has accused the previous Government, which was also led by Kurti, of violating the rights of the Serbian people. 

"I take this opportunity to say that the Serbs of the Serbian List have nothing against the Albanian people with whom we have lived, live and will live. But we will be against policies that aim to expel our people," said Simić. 

He criticized the mandated representative's presentation, which did not mention Serbs anywhere, as well as the proposal of Nenad Rašić as Minister for Communities and Returns. 

"He received his mandate in Parliament with votes in places where there have been no Serbs for decades. They were not Serb votes. You have the right to appoint him as a minister, but you know that he will never be a minister who represents Serbs. For all that you have done, for the violations committed, the Serbian List will not support the formation of this government," said Simić.

PDK pledges to support issues of national importance and international agreements 

LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku said that the Democratic League of Kosovo accepts its role in the opposition, but that it is not giving up. He added that the party is also ready for institutional cooperation in the Assembly on major issues.

"I hope that this duty will be exercised with maturity, patience and awareness of the role that the Assembly has in the democratic life of Kosovo. LDK expresses its readiness for institutional cooperation in the Parliament on topics that go beyond parliamentary arithmetic because we believe that the stability of the state is built with prudence, respect for the opposition and awareness that democracy is not just a matter of numbers but a matter of political culture," he told the MPs.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Bedri Hamza, has said that in the first regular session of the new Kosovo legislature, he will request the adoption of a resolution that will demand a fair, impartial trial in accordance with international standards and respect for human rights, for the accused in The Hague. 

He has requested full support for this resolution, while calling on all party and institutional leaders to participate in the February 17 march in support of the former KLA leaders who are being tried in The Hague. 

Hamza said that PDK will refrain from debate in the constitutive session, while he said that PDK will support finding consensus on issues of great importance, such as the issue of the president and the passage of international agreements. 

"Support for consensus is not a sign of weakness, but a state responsibility. We will give our contribution to an agreement for the good of Kosovo, but without compromising the state interest," said President Hamza.

Hamza said that PDK will take care of preserving any tendency to violate the Constitution, while he said that in the past dozens of laws passed in the Assembly have been overturned by the Constitutional Court. He also said that PDK will uncompromisingly protect the public interest, Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic path and the strategic alliance with the United States of America and international partners.

While he said that he listened to the presentation of the mandated leader for the new government, Albin Kurti, saying that it is more about promises and issues that have no basis for financing. 
He said that action must be taken because Kosovo is emptying.

President, the next step

After the constitution of the Assembly and the voting on the new Government, the deputies face another task: the election of 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 given at the end of December, she said that if she does not win another mandate, she will return to political engagement, without indicating which party.

And the leader of the LVV, Albin Kurti, 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.

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