While all last year, deputies from the Vetëvendosje Movement loudly opposed a deputy speaker of the Assembly from the Serbian List, the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court changed everything.
Several Vetëvendosje officials had stated in various statements that they did not vote for the Serbian List proposals. VV MP Mimoza Kusari-Lila had stated in October that this party has an unwavering stance not to vote for the Serbian List candidates. Glauk Konjufca had made a similar statement in the same month, stating that "VV does not have any votes for the Serbian List". And even more harshly, MP Agim Bahtiri had stated that he "cuts his hand and does not vote for the Serbian List".
Meanwhile, before the session today, Kusari-Lila said that VV has not changed its approach and distrust towards the Serbian List, but according to her, "the smooth running of institutional life must be maintained."
"The elections of December 28th took place, a process took place that burdens all of us here with a lot of responsibility. But also, our political stance remains unchanged. Nothing in relation to the approach and distrust we have towards any communication or cooperation with this political grouping, which unfortunately so far has only shown opposition in relation to the interest of Kosovo, nothing has changed. The interest of Kosovo is above all and what needs to happen today is to preserve the progress of institutional life, the interests of thousands of workers and all those who are in the service of this country, in the public sector but also in the private sector, and of course to proceed with those obligations that we have, that we could have fulfilled before October 6th. Those that were requested and begged for many times by the opposition parties, both by us and by the President, for the voting on international agreements, the deadline of which expires very soon. While we have since then until now had clarity on the will of the citizens of the Republic like never before and we will behave and act on that responsibility today," she said.
Meanwhile, after the session, MP Bahtiri said that he voted in favor because "the vote was in a package."
The Constitutional Court a few days ago granted the Serbian List, as the majority within the Serbian community, the unlimited right to propose a candidate for deputy speaker of the Assembly, even after all the names of its deputies have been exhausted.
The decision was criticized by VV actors, but a day earlier, at the preparatory meeting for the constitutive session, the speaker of the ninth legislature, Dimal Basha, announced that the deputy speakers would be made in a package. This package of five deputy speakers, including Simić of the Serbian List, who was voted against last year, received the support of 104 deputies.
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The issue of the deputy head of the Serbian community was among the reasons for the extension of the blockade last year.
This was also criticized by Ehat Miftaraj from the Kosovo Institute for Justice. He said that last year, the VV declared anyone who dared to demand the implementation of the Constitutional Court's decisions on the constitution of the Assembly a traitor.
"Today the same party forgot all its principles based on lies, public deception in the name of false patriotism and with its votes voted for the Serbian List and Slavko Simic as the deputy speaker of the Kosovo Assembly. LVV and Albin Kurti today should tell us whether the Serbian List is terrorist?" he wrote on Facebook. "Albin Kurti and LVV violated the strategic dialogue with the US by attacking the GJK for the Serbian List and Slavko Simic, and today they voted unanimously for them. In other words, they wasted a year with lies in the name of patriotism and in the end they ended up dancing with the Serbian List and Slavko Simic."
