Vjosa Osmani: Kosovo still has time to form a new government

2025-10-20 15:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani believes that the country still has time to form a new government almost eight months after parliamentary elections, but criticized the largest Kosovo Serb party, the Serbian List, for trying to create obstacles in this direction.

Osmani said that it is in Kosovo's interest to have a new government with a full constitutional mandate as soon as possible.

"I would not rush to make assumptions that the formation of the Government will fail, there is still some time, " Osmani told reporters after an event organized on Monday, as part of the International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in Pristina.

Efforts to form a new government began earlier this month, after the new Parliament was constituted on October 10, ending a months-long impasse following the February 9 elections.

One day after the constitution of the Parliament, President Osmani mandated the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement and the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, to form the new Government.

But the constitutionality of the constitution of the new Assembly has been contested by the Serbian List – which enjoys the support of Belgrade – after it filed an appeal with the country's Constitutional Court over the election of the Serbian deputy speaker of the Assembly.

She has opposed the election of Nenad Rashiq as deputy speaker, claiming that constitutional violations and violations of the Assembly's working regulations have been committed.

In its appeal, the Serbian List requested that the court impose a temporary measure, to stop, as it said, “unconstitutional actions that could cause irreversible damage.”

The country's highest court has not yet ruled on the Serbian List's appeal, but has confirmed that it has accepted it.

This is the second time that the Serbian List has complained to the Constitutional Court about the issue of the Serbian vice president in recent months, after it had complained against the separate vote in August.

Osmani said that "the delay that is being attempted to be created by the Serbian List harms the interests, not only of Kosovo as a state, but of all citizens, including Serbs."

Ehat Miftaraj, executive director of the Kosovo Law Institute, believes that if the Constitutional Court rules in favor of the Serb List, the decision could also affect the formation of the new Government.

"With it, the nomination and mandate of the Vetëvendosje Movement by the president for the next prime minister of Kosovo would be undermined," Miftaraj estimates.

Kurti was nominated on October 11 and he now has six days to present the composition and program of the Government to the Kosovo Assembly for approval, according to the law.

But he will have trouble finding at least 61 votes in the 120-member Assembly for a third term as head of government, after his party won 48 seats in the February 9 elections.

The Deputy Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu from Kurti's party, said a few days ago that her party could talk with the Democratic League of Kosovo, which has 20 seats, about a possible coalition, since the Social Democratic Initiative, which has 3 seats, has not been interested in being included in the government.

She has ruled out any possible coalition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo, which came in second with 24 seats, and the Serbian List – the largest Serb party in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of Belgrade.

Haxhiu also mentioned the possibility of discussing with individual MPs the voting for the new Government of Kosovo.

In the event that LVV fails to collect 61 votes, President Osmani has the duty within ten days to invite the parties for consultations and decide on the candidate who has the greatest chances of forming the Government.

If the government cannot be formed even after the second attempt, President Osmani, according to the Constitution, must announce new elections, which must be held within 40 days. /REL