Salihu: Delays for directors in Pristina may be related to the expectation of a VV-LDK coalition or a "bargain" for the president

Bekim Salihu from the GAP Institute has criticized the delays in appointing municipal directors in Pristina, saying that it is paradoxical and that leaving these positions empty creates difficulties and uncertainties. 

In an interview given to the "Tre8tre" show on KTV, Salihu said that Mayor Përparim Rama should have made his cabinet public in the first days of local government, in order to create space for the normal functioning of institutions in the municipality. 

"The absence of these directors has created a kind of lack of address for the media, civil society organizations, citizens and other stakeholders. The situation on the ground seems bad, especially with waste management, with local infrastructure and I believe that this is a consequence of these actions in the municipality of Pristina. Mr. Rama has created a general narrative that the government is blocking many issues, many projects. We are taking such a statement as correct, but where is the reason for not appointing directors, which is exclusively his competence? So in this case, no one is preventing him, but it is an issue that he is not carrying out and, moreover, he is not only not appointing directors but has not given reasonable reasons in public why he is not doing such a thing," he said. 

According to Salihu, Rama may be waiting for political developments at the central level, such as a possible coalition between the Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo, or some political agreement for the post of president, which would then influence the reconfiguration of the coalition at the local level. 

"I believe that the reason that could be behind this whole mystery is that Mr. Rama could expect a coalition at the central level between VV and LDK, or a 'Bazar' for the president and then modify the coalition at the local level. This is my opinion, I do not refer to any relevant source," he said.