Kosovo to have new govt in coming days - president Thaci

SManalysis


PublishedApr 23, 2020 14:10 EEST



PRISTINA (Kosovo), April 23 (SeeNews) – Kosovo’s political parties except the Self-Determination Movement (VV) will reach an agreement on a new government in the coming days, thus avoiding early elections, the country’s president Hashim Thaci said.

Last month, Kosovo's coalition government led by the VV collapsed after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Kosovo is capable of forming a new government that will serve its people, fight coronavirus (Covid-19) and ensure the democratic functioning of all institutions, president Thaci said in a statement posted on Facebook late on Wednesday after meeting with representatives of the main parties.

All parliamentary political parties except the VV have agreed that early elections are not necessary as the fight against Covid-19 must be prioritised, Thaci added.

Reacting to the president's statement, acting prime minister Albin Kurti, who is also leader of VV, said Thaci is trying to disrupt Kosovo's Constitutional order.

The country should go to early elections, in accordance with the Constitution, Kurti said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the president does not have the power to mediate in the formation of a new government and VV will challenge his actions before the Constitutional court.

In late March, Kosovo's coalition government led by VV lost a no-confidence vote requested by its main coalition partner, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), after nearly two months in office.

The coalition partners held different views on how the coronavirus crisis should be handled and whether customs duties imposed on imports from Serbia should be removed completely. Tension between the two parties ran high after Kurti fired then-interior minister Agim Veliu of LDK for acting contrary to the government measures against the coronavirus outbreak.

Kurti's cabinet was formed in early February after the winner of the October 6 snap election, VV, and second-ranked centre-right LDK agreed on a coalition. The October 6 election was called after former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj stepped down in July 2019 to appear for questioning as suspect before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The institution is investigating crimes committed during the 1990s guerrilla war waged by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians against Serbia's government forces.

Kosovo, considered to be a potential candidate for EU membership by the European Commission, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has so far has been recognised by more than half of the 193 UN member states. Belgrade does not recognise Kosovo's independence.