Izmaku: If Limaj's name is proposed, the Assembly could be constituted on Monday

2025-07-18 19:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Izmaku: If Limaj's name is proposed, the Assembly could be constituted on

Kosovo Assembly Member from the Social Democratic Initiative, Xhevahire Izmaku, told Radio Free Europe on Friday that the meeting between the leader of this party, Famir Limaj, and the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, also the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, will take place on Saturday afternoon, with the aim of finding a solution for the constitution of the Kosovo Assembly.

The new session to constitute the Assembly will be held on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. So far, 48 attempts have been unsuccessful.

"We stand by our request - which we think is reasonable - for the position of the Speaker of the Assembly. We have the votes. If Fatmir Limaj's name is proposed, then the Assembly can be constituted on Monday," Izmaku told Radio Free Europe.

According to her, so far there is no clear signal from the Vetëvendosje Movement that an agreement can be reached with the Social Democratic Initiative, but "there is a positive environment."

"But I can't say what the decision-making will be like. The situation is unpredictable," she said, among other things.

Earlier in the day, Limaj also met with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani.

"This meeting comes on the eve of the end of the constitutional deadline set by the Constitutional Court's Judgment in case KO124/25, which obliges MPs to constitute the Assembly within 30 days, specifically by July 26," it was stated in a statement issued by the Presidency.

The Constitutional Court has set July 26 as the deadline for constitution, but it has not provided further details on what happens next if the parties do not reach an agreement by then.

Osmani has warned that he will address the Constitutional Court next week if the Kosovo Assembly is not constituted within these days.

The situation is blocked after the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Serbian List refuse to propose a candidate for the formation of a secret ballot commission, arguing that the method of changing the voting by the chairman of the session, Avni Dehari, is unconstitutional.

The Vetëvendosje Movement demands that Albulena Haxhiu – proposed for Speaker of Parliament – be voted on only once through secret ballot and if she does not secure the necessary 61 votes, she will withdraw from the race.

She has not secured the necessary votes in several consecutive sessions that have been held with open voting. For some parties, she is a divisive and unacceptable figure.

Members of civil society have protested several times in front of the Parliament building, calling MPs to account.

Who has how many votes?
In the 120-seat Kosovo Assembly, 61 votes are needed to successfully vote on the new speaker's name.

The Vetëvendosje Movement, as the winner of the most votes in the February 9 elections, has 48 seats in the Assembly, followed by the Democratic Party of Kosovo with 24, the Democratic League of Kosovo with 20, the Serbian List - the largest Serb party in Kosovo with 9, and the coalition between the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Social Democratic Initiative, with 8. Another 11 seats are held by minorities.

The Social Democratic Initiative alone has three MPs in the Assembly. In addition to Limaj, this party is represented by Xhevahire Izmaku and Arbëreshë Kryeziu.

The acting Minister of Administration and Local Government and the chairman of the new Democratic Initiative of Kosovo (IRDK), Elbert Krasniqi, has previously signaled that seven non-Serb minority MPs would vote in favor of the constitution of the new Assembly and a new government led by the Vetëvendosje Movement.

In a scenario where the Vetëvendosje Movement, Nisma MPs, and seven minority MPs were to vote for the constitution of the Assembly, three more votes would be needed to successfully finalize the process.

So far, minority MPs, Duda Balje, Veton Berisha and Adem Hoxha have stated that they will not offer support without their conditions being met./ REL