Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti says that there is not only a theoretical, but also a practical possibility that Kosovo may return to elections if the new president cannot be elected. Four months before the mandate of the current president, Vjosa Osmani, expires, Kurti is more cautious about whether Osmani would be supported for another five-year term. According to him, a test and indication of how to proceed even regarding the presidential issue is the approval of international agreements, which also requires support from opposition MPs.
In an exclusive interview for KosovaPress, Kurti said that first the Assembly must be constituted, the government formed, the budget approved, and only then should the issue of electing the president be considered.
“If we cannot elect the president, or re-elect the president, the final deadline for this is March 4. If we do not first have the 2026 budget passed, we cannot hold new elections. Naturally, there is not only a theoretical, but also a practical possibility that we may return to elections if we fail to re-elect the president. But in such a situation, we must be prepared, precisely by having the budget already voted. That is why I say, it is not healthy to talk about the fourth step without properly addressing and passing the first three steps,” he said.
Kurti, who is also the leader of VV, a party which according to preliminary CEC results received over 50 percent of the votes in the December 28 elections, considers it necessary to meet with Osmani to discuss her interest in another term as head of state.
According to him, ensuring 80 MPs in the chamber at the moment of the presidential vote is a considerable challenge.
“Now, we have seen the president’s statement. First, we must form the Assembly and the government. We also need to vote on the budget. I believe these are the most important steps. So, there are three steps before we come to the re-election of the president. And I believe that from these three steps we will see what the chances are going forward. I have stated that it is important that we also sit down with the president and discuss everything. This meeting is necessary because 80 MPs in the chamber is a considerable challenge. You know that last time we could not reach 61. 80 is a much higher number than 61. And while this time we have 61, we do not have 80. These international agreements, which we are trying to pass as quickly as possible, I also believe can provide indications for the way forward. But I do not believe it is right, nor useful, to talk about the fourth step without considering the first three,” he declared.
Speaking about the possibility that opposition parties, particularly the LDK, will remain in the plenary chamber during the presidential vote, Kurti said that he does not know what positions the opposition parties will take in the coming weeks and months.
“Honestly, I do not know. This year 2025, with a blocking and barricading approach by the opposition parties, has surprised even me. If someone had told me a year ago that 2025 would unfold as it did, it might have seemed very unlikely or even impossible. Yet here we are. That is why I do not know what positions the opposition parties will take in the coming weeks and months. It is clear that neither international agreements nor the re-election of the president, the election of the president, can pass without some MPs from the opposition. Meanwhile, the blockages regarding the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the government have been removed by the people on December 28,” he emphasized. /KosovaPress/
