Civil society organizations protested again today in front of the main entrance of the Assembly of Kosovo.
Naim Jakaj, a researcher from the Kosovo Law Institute (IKD), said that there is no room for conditions or delays and that the Assembly must be constituted as soon as possible.
“The Constitutional Court spoke yesterday and reiterated what we, as civil society organizations, have been saying for months. A political agreement is needed to constitute the Assembly. The first party must fulfill its constitutional obligations and compromise by allowing the Speaker and Deputy Speakers to be elected through an open vote. The right to propose a candidate for Speaker belongs to the largest parliamentary group—that’s well known. The candidate must secure 61 votes. This right does not mean the party can block the Assembly of Kosovo indefinitely. Consensus or necessary compromise must be sought. This right cannot be used to paralyze the Assembly. This obligation also applies to other parliamentary groups that are not the leading group,” he said.
He told journalists that the longer the Assembly remains non-functional, the deeper the consequences will be for the citizens.
“The Court has made it clear that the Constitution, the Rules of Procedure, and parliamentary practices define the procedure for constituting the Assembly. There has never been a secret vote for electing the Speaker. Secret voting is used for electing the President or members of the Constitutional Court, as per the law, but not for the Speaker. This relates to the April 18 session when the first meeting was held regarding the election of the Speaker. Party leaders and representatives had already agreed on the agenda, and the presiding member of the session, Mr. Dehari, must strictly execute this agenda without deviation. According to the Court ruling, the Assembly should have already been constituted within 30 days from the date of the last elections,” he added.
“This crisis is not a legal one; it is political, and therefore it is extremely important for political parties to find a solution. The Constitutional Court’s ruling gives a 30-day deadline but does not specify what happens after that period. Therefore, we, as a coalition of civil society organizations, will continue our efforts until this crisis is resolved—until the Assembly is constituted and the Speaker and the Presidency are elected. What is also important to highlight is that we are currently in a time of major geopolitical shifts, and Kosovo cannot afford to continue functioning without a legitimate government and a functional Assembly,” he said.
The constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo, scheduled for today (Friday), was interrupted due to the Constitutional Court’s ruling and the anticipation of tomorrow’s meeting of parliamentary party leaders to resolve the Assembly deadlock.
The session chair, Avni Dehari, expressed hope that a consensus will be reached in tomorrow’s meeting, called by LVV leader Albin Kurti, with representatives of parliamentary parties to constitute the ninth legislature.
Amir Abrashi from “Democracy Plus” also stated that their engagement will continue until institutions are formed.
“This crisis is not a legal one; it is political, and therefore it is extremely important for political parties to find a solution. The Constitutional Court’s ruling gives a 30-day deadline but does not specify what happens after that period. Therefore, we, as a coalition of civil society organizations, will continue our efforts until this crisis is resolved—until the Assembly is constituted and the Speaker and the Presidency are elected. What is also important to highlight is that we are currently in a time of major geopolitical shifts, and Kosovo cannot afford to continue functioning without a legitimate government and a functional Assembly,” he said.
The constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo, scheduled for today (Friday), was interrupted due to the Constitutional Court’s ruling and the anticipation of tomorrow’s meeting of parliamentary party leaders to resolve the Assembly deadlock.
The session chair, Avni Dehari, expressed hope that a consensus will be reached in tomorrow’s meeting, called by LVV leader Albin Kurti, with representatives of parliamentary parties to constitute the ninth legislature.
