Kurti reveals the name: Here's who would be the ideal figure for president

2026-03-01 22:43:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, also the chairman of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), said on Sunday that he believes that Murat Jashari - from the family of the hero Adem Jashari - would be the ideal figure for the position of president and that if it has been impossible for the political parties in Kosovo to find a unifying figure for this position, then he agrees that each party should have its own candidate for president in the Assembly.

Murat Jashari, the son of Rifat Jashari, brother of Adem Jashari, and other family members made it clear earlier this week that they have no ambitions for the position of president, and would only consider such a position in the event of a state of emergency or civil war.

Kurti has mentioned that, based on the current geopolitical situation in the world, he believes that the country needs "a figure who can withstand the storms" that the state is facing, therefore, according to him, Murat Jashari "would be the right choice at the right time" and continues to remain the ideal case.

"My conviction has been and continues to be that a figure, professor and personality like Murat Jashari, would enjoy all-party support, would be an honor for the republic, stability for the institution and security for the nation. The geopolitical circumstances, the war in Ukraine, the US-Iran conflict and tensions in the Near and Middle East, as well as the successive threats from Serbia, including the terrorist aggression in Banjska, the kinetic attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal, and the daily threats from our northern neighbor require a moment of reflection," Kurti said at the meeting of the LVV General Council.

The current president, Vjosa Osmani, has said she wants another term, but the LVV, which nominated her for the first term, is now not mentioning her name. Even the opposition parties seem to have no votes for her, as they have occasionally criticized her for bias in favor of Kurti's party.

"If we fail to find a unifying figure that secures the support of at least 80 MPs, then one of the remaining options is for each party to propose its own candidate for president and for all to be subject to competition within the Assembly. In the end, the one who manages to obtain the support of MPs from the three rounds will win, as the Constitution requires in its procedure," Kurti said.

He made this statement while commenting on the offer made to him the day before by Bedri Hamza of the Democratic Party of Kosovo that the name of the president be proposed by the party he leads. To propose a candidate for president, 30 signatures of deputies must be obtained, while LVV alone has 57 of them. All other parties have less than 30 deputies.

To elect a candidate, at least 80 votes are needed in one of the first two rounds, or 61 in the third, out of a total of 120 votes. Kurti has announced that he will discuss this issue again on Monday with the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku.

"If the subjects agree that this is the path, that is, an open competition, where each subject has a candidate for president, then we also agree with this approach and the LVV will have its candidate for president ," Kurti said, among other things.

Although Hamza has offered Kurti the chance to run for his party, he has not mentioned any specific names. The position of president in Kosovo is largely ceremonial – because the country is a parliamentary republic – and a president is expected to be a unifying figure among political parties. Earlier this week, Arsim Bajrami, a former minister of Public Administration and Education, expressed his willingness to become president.

Similarly, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, expressed his readiness weeks ago, but other parties have not given him support. If the country fails to finalize this process on time, then it faces early parliamentary elections, less than a month after the new Government was formed. Civil society organizations have called for such a process to be avoided, demanding that the citizen's interest be placed before the party's. /REL