The Mayor of South Mitrovica, Faton Peci, who is also the leader of the Guxo party founded by Vjosa Osmani in 2021, refused to comment to KosovaPress regarding Osmani’s situation amid the “deadlock” over her re-election as president.

​KosovaPress attempted on Thursday to get a response or comment from him regarding Vetëvendosje’s decision not to nominate Osmani for the presidency—a party that is in coalition with Peci’s Guxo, which instead decided to give its support for the presidential position to Glauk Konjufca.

Peci declined to speak directly, but a response was provided through his advisor, Shkelezen Haliti.

“The mayor speaks only on municipal matters; for the election of the president, you should address it at the central level,” Haliti conveyed on Peci’s behalf to KosovaPress.

Peci was one of Osmani’s closest associates since her split with LDK in 2020. He served as her advisor and later became one of the founders of the GUXO list. After Osmani left the party due to constitutional obligations upon becoming president, he became one of its leaders, alongside Donika Gërvalla, who also refused to comment today regarding Osmani’s situation.

Peci was among the few municipal leaders elected last year who received an official inaugural visit from Osmani.

Today marks the constitutional deadline for the election of the president.

According to the Constitution of Kosovo, at least 30 MPs’ signatures are required to propose a presidential candidate. Vetëvendosje holds 57 MPs, while no other party alone has 30 votes.

To elect the president, at least 80 votes are needed in one of the first two rounds of voting, or 61 votes in the third round, out of a total of 120 MPs in Parliament, with 80 present in the chamber during the vote.

If the Assembly fails to elect a president within the constitutional deadlines, the country faces the dissolution of Parliament and early parliamentary elections.