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Osmani: Parliament cannot be blocked for a vice president

2025-09-09 12:57:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said on Tuesday that the functioning of the Kosovo Assembly should not be blocked by the lack of a deputy speaker, and criticized the Serbian List for "intending" to block the formation of the country's institutions.

Speaking at a press conference in Pristina, Osmani indicated that she has just sent her comments to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo regarding the complaint of the largest Serb party regarding the voting of the deputy speakers of the Assembly.

"In circumstances where the work of the Assembly is blocked, despite the fact that the presidency has a quorum, the exercise of sovereignty is made impossible. Blocking the Assembly for not electing a vice-president, while the presidency has a quorum, would seriously undermine the foundations on which our republic is built," said Osmani.

She added that "the aim is to block the entire state for a vice president. A state without institutions is a failed state."

"As long as we have a president, a quorum and a chairperson, the Assembly should not be blocked. The position that belongs to the Serbian community remains for the Serbian community. No one will take that position, it will be filled in a subsequent session," she stressed.

Last week, the Constitutional Court unanimously imposed a temporary measure prohibiting elected members of Parliament from taking any action, as well as preventing them from carrying out any procedure to form a new Government.

The court imposed this measure - which will be in effect until September 30 - ex officio and based on the request of the Serbian List MPs.

Nine deputies from the Serbian List and the Gorani deputy, Adem Hoxha, addressed the Constitutional Court with a request on August 30, regarding the vote for the Serbian deputy speaker in the Kosovo Assembly.

The court emphasized that - without assessing the suspicions raised by the Serbian List of constitutional violations in the sessions of August 26 and 28 - "it is necessary to stop all further actions towards the election of the Government and the continuation of the work of the Assembly."

She added that she decided to impose the measure "so as not to violate the legal and democratic order in the Republic of Kosovo."

The complaint by the Serbian List - which enjoys the support of official Belgrade - came after the new Speaker of the Assembly, Dimal Basha, put the candidates for deputy speakers of the Assembly from the non-Serb and Serb minority communities to a separate vote.

The representative from the non-Serb communities, Emilija Rexhepi, was elected deputy speaker of the Assembly. The Serbian List, which has 9 out of 10 seats in the Assembly reserved for Serbs, insisted on nominating only Slavko Simi? even after he failed to receive the necessary 61 votes after the three allowed rounds of voting.

When she refused to propose someone else for vice president, Basha decided to draw lots, according to the Assembly's Rules of Procedure, to draw another name from the Serbian community.

In addition to all the MPs from the Serbian List, Nenad Raši? from the Serbian party For Freedom, Justice and Survival, who is also a serving minister in Albin Kurti's government, was also nominated for this position. Raši? did not receive the necessary votes either.

The Municipality unilaterally declared the constitution of the Assembly complete, despite the failure to elect the fifth vice-president.

Earlier this month, the Presidency said that the President's legal team was conducting an analysis regarding the process of constituting the Assembly, while Osmani said days ago that regarding the constitution of the country's institutions, he would act "in full compliance with the Constitution and the laws in force."

Legal and constitutional expert Vullnet Bugaqku, from the Democratic Institute of Kosovo, considers the Constitutional Court's decision to impose the interim measure as a fair and necessary action.

"To prevent further procedural actions from the relevant actors - consequently from the members of Parliament and the president of the state," Bugaqku told REL on September 5.

The Constitutional Court's decision was criticized as "unilateral" by the election-winning party, the Vetëvendosje Movement.

"The Constitutional Court, which has been at the forefront of the times, has taken sides by making this decision today. The suspension of the work of 120 deputies is in complete contradiction with the functioning of one of the most important institutions of the state, such as the Parliament," LVV wrote in a reaction on Facebook.

Two days after the court's decision, Vetëvendosje again proposed Kurti as the country's prime minister.

Kurti himself criticized the Constitutional Court for the decisions it has made during his governing mandate, and those of recent months regarding the constitution of the Assembly.

Kurti has called the measure taken by the Constitutional Court unreasonable.

"The only dilemma I have in this situation is whether this 25-day measure is more absurd or more harmful. But I have no doubt that it is both very absurd and very harmful," Kurti said on Sunday when he was nominated by the party for prime minister./ REL