Today, August 8, the deadline expires for the temporary measure imposed by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo regarding the constitution of the Assembly. On July 24, the Court ruled that deputies could not make any decisions or take any actions related to the formation of the Assembly until August 8.

This was done while the Court reviews two cases submitted by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), seeking clarification on constitutional issues regarding the formation of the ninth legislature.

Another request came from President Vjosa Osmani, but it is unclear if it will be reviewed since she withdrew it days earlier due to the appointment of Judge Radomir Llaban as the reporting judge in the case. Osmani has said Llaban poses a threat to Kosovo’s national security.

The Constitutional Court had earlier ruled that the Assembly must be constituted within 30 days, but deputies ignored the decision, and the Court did not clarify the consequences of noncompliance.

Kosovo faces a deep political crisis due to the failure to form new institutions after the February 9 elections.

From April 15 to the end of July, deputies met 54 times but failed to form legislative bodies. The process is stuck at electing the Assembly Speaker. The leading party — Vetëvendosje, in coalition with Guxo and Alternativa — has not secured enough votes to elect Albulena Haxhiu as Speaker.

Opposition parties reject Haxhiu’s nomination. After six failed open votes, Vetëvendosje sought a secret ballot, which other parties opposed. They accused session chair Avni Dehari (LVV) of violating the Constitution in conducting the sessions.

Researcher Vullnet Bugaqku said the Court must determine if procedures after June 26 complied with the Constitution. If Dehari’s insistence on a secret vote is deemed unconstitutional, the 30-day deadline may be reset, returning to the moment of the open vote.

Another scenario could be for the Court to rule that the first party’s right to propose the Speaker is not absolute and set criteria to prevent Assembly blockage, possibly allowing other groups to propose a candidate with 61 votes.

In 2014, the Court ruled that the first party in elections has the right to propose the Speaker.

The Constitutional Court’s decision on the next steps is expected today.

/KosovaPress