The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, convened on March 25, 2020, in plenary session at the request of 44 deputies, with 82 votes in favor, 32 against and one abstention, supported the motion of no confidence in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, proposed by the LDK Parliamentary Group.

The text of the motion and its justification, in the capacity of initiator, were read by the chairman of the LDK Parliamentary Group, Arben Gashi, reports KosovaPress.

He said that this motion came as a result of a long inaction regarding the complete removal of the tariff, which, he said, had been requested by the United States of America and the European Union, making the country subject to sanctions. American economy.

"At the time when the country most needs internal unity and full institutional commitment in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Kurti decided to end the co-governance agreement with the Democratic League of Kosovo", said Gashi.

Among other things, he said that with the voting of this motion, the Assembly would have the opportunity to create a government, which for a certain duration will bring stability.

"Through the motion, the Assembly creates the possibility of forming a government of stability with a limited duration, which would address the immediate challenges that the country is facing", added Gashi.

Therefore, he invited the deputies to vote for the motion of no confidence in the government.

On the other hand, Rexhep Selimi from the Vetëvendosje Movement Parliamentary Group told the initiators of this motion that "instead of being allies, at a time when citizens have their eyes on the government and the world is at war against the coronavirus, you chose your opponents as allies, since you called for the motion to overthrow the government."

"The LDK, today together with old allies who look like new allies, are asking for a motion of no confidence in the most difficult time for Kosovo so far. So, they demand the overthrow of the government, when the world continues to face this pandemic as a global problem," said Selimi.

He considered incorrect the assertion that there are sanctions from the United States of America, while he added that this government is not falling as a result of not removing the tariff, nor because of the dismissal of the former minister Agim Veliu, but because of the relief of reaching an agreement with Serbia.

"The sanctions claimed by the United States of America for Kosovo are simply a fiction, if they were not a wish at the time of the Kurti government, on your part," added Selimi.

On behalf of PDK GP, Memli Krasniqi said that the vote of confidence in the Government came after the self-surrender of Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the government in the face of the challenges our country faces.

"Therefore, there could be no other end to a government and a prime minister who, for such a short time, extremely jeopardized the most vital alliances for Kosovo, who failed to offer a development program that met the expectations of citizens and who created so many contradictions within themselves for such a short period," said Krasniqi, confirming that the PDK will vote to overthrow the government.

"The Democratic Party of Kosovo will vote for the motion of no confidence, not only because it is at the head of the opposition and the natural job description of any opposition in a democratic country is to shorten the life of the government as much as possible, but also because with "In truth, this has been the most incompetent government in the history of Kosovo's democracy and it deserves to go as soon as possible", said Krasniqi.

Daut Haradinaj, from the AAK parliamentary group, reconfirmed the position of the entity he represents in relation to the current government, stressing that this government will not have a long life, for reasons that are already public, therefore they support this motion.

"The budget discrimination of certain areas where the most vital projects of that area have been mercilessly crippled, the removal of the tax without any profit for the Republic of Kosovo, the creation of the market for Serbia and its non-negotiation with the USA, but simply perhaps not even negotiating with allies and partners of the coalition, the attraction of serious investors, the dismissal of the minister, are some of the reasons why the Alliance will support this motion of no confidence", said Haradinaj.

Moreover, he emphasized that this government will not be remembered for any great achievement, but will be remembered for the attempt to create a monopoly, thus completely ignoring the role of the opposition in parliamentary democracy.

"Mr. "Kurti tried to create a monopoly, he completely ignored the opposition, he simply had no interest in treating us as if we were not from Kosovo," said Haradinaj, also highlighting some of the government's failures.

From the parliamentary group of the Serbian List, Igor Simic, expressed his opposition to the Kurti government, stressing that this government has not shown due respect to the Serbian people and their representatives. 

"First of all, this government has not shown any respect to the Serbian people, respectively to the representatives of the Serbian people, whom the Serbian people have democratically elected", said Simic, also confirming that they are against this government and will vote pro motion of no confidence.

The chairman of the Social Democratic Initiative Working Group, Haxhi Shala, emphasized that this government, in addition to having created a political crisis, will also be remembered for its longevity.

"This government will be remembered every time in our history as the shortest government in our country, therefore the crisis caused by the 'government of hope', we as NISMA and the Assembly, today will give its epilogue ", said Shala, confirming the vote in favor of the motion.

"I will support the initiative and it will be a promotion of the motion raised by the Democratic League of Kosovo", said Shala.

The representative of the 6+ Parliamentary Group, Albert Kinolli, said that in this government that they voted for and that they are coalition partners, the relationship between them has faded and been minimized, therefore he confirmed the vote for its overthrow, also taking into account that, as he said, their votes are not decisive, since the majority is assured.

"Our vote will not be decisive, given the will of the majority, that's why we also support it", said Kinolli.

Taking the floor in front of the deputies, Prime Minister Albin Kurti mentioned the achievements of the government led by him, during these 50 days, emphasizing that he is proud of his government cabinet and its achievements.

"Today, the new government of the Republic is on its 50th day of work. Today marks 50 days that we have been working, not that we didn't have 100 days to prove our work, but we didn't even have 100 hours. I can say that I am proud of this cabinet and its achievements", said Kurti.

He also mentioned a number of decisions that were taken, as he said, for the general good.

"From the beginning, we halved the salaries of the prime minister, deputy prime ministers, ministers, deputy ministers and their staff, but not the salaries in the justice system and the constitutional court. We wanted to show what we consider valuable and to bring ethics into politics", said Kurti.

He also mentioned the dismissal of the coordinators, which he called unnecessary, the dismissal of the boards, etc.

"I don't feel sorry for this government and even less for myself, I feel sorry for the citizens and the people for what is being done to them with this motion of no confidence. First, this motion of no confidence aims to leave the people without their government, without the government they voted for," said Kurti.

He said that this government has the support of its citizens.

"You all know that this government has the support of the citizens who are in such a dire situation, because the unemployment among them and the injustice towards them was also increased by the danger from the coronavirus," Kurti added.

The debate regarding the motion against the government continued throughout the day, with discussions mainly between the deputies of the GP of the VV and those of the LDK, controversy between them and also with members of the government cabinet.

Prime Minister Kurti, Deputy Prime Ministers Hoti and Abazi, as well as Minister Konjufca, were involved in discussions related to the topic under consideration, simultaneously defending the political positions of the parties they represent.

The speaker of the Assembly, Vjosa Osmani, also spoke, who said that the overthrow of the government at this time is unprecedented, expressing regret that this is happening. She said that while egos are seeking to fill political appetites, doctors are trying to save every life.

Speaker Osmani said that tonight she is addressing only the citizens of Kosovo.

"Dear citizens, tonight I address only you, because as MPs we have addressed each other enough with words that hurt our relations and the citizens. This motion is raised against the government of change in a country where many politicians do not want change. This motion is submitted at a time when the world is suffering. Today we risk losing even that thread of solidarity that we have. This is the speech I would not like to give, because at the moment I am speaking, Kosovo and all of humanity are facing the great challenge of COVID19. At this moment when our egos are seeking to fulfill our political appetites, doctors are trying to save every life. But we have decided to leave them hopeless in their life's battle, removing the government when they need it most. Today, we would have to discuss and make decisions to make the health workers' work easier", emphasized Osmani.

She added that today it would be necessary to discuss essential medicines and food, additional measures for social cases and groups at risk from the virus, for private businesses that may go bankrupt.

Osmani said that today there is a risk that another epidemic will spread in Kosovo, that of the dehumanization of the soul.

"I believe that the government between my party and Vetëvendosje has been good at fighting corruption and organized crime and it has proven this in these few days. Therefore, I cannot agree with the motion of no confidence, because I consider that by voting for it, we abandon the will of our citizens for change", said President Osmani, announcing the vote against the motion.

Then, with a closing speech, Prime Minister Albin Kurti addressed the deputies, as did the chairman of the GP of LDK, Arben Gashi, as the initiator of the motion.

After the end of the debate, with a majority of votes, the Assembly approved the motion of no confidence in the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, proposed by the Parliamentary Group of the LDK and supported by 44 deputies.

With this, President Osmani closed the proceedings of this session.

/Kosovapress/