The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, on Tuesday asked the country’s Constitutional Court to assess whether the parliamentary vote that re-elected Albin Kurti as Kosovo’s Prime Minister three days ago was valid.
“We consider that parliament has been inaugurated by violating the constitution. A parliament which is inaugurated unconstitutionally cannot produce constitutional institutions,” Perparim Gruda, a PDK MP, told media on Tuesday.
“Even earlier, we called [on parliament] to not proceed with further decisions before clarifying question marks,” Gruda added.
Tuesday’s filing by the PDK is the second in as many days that it has taken to the top court. On Monday, it complained to the court that Sunday’s inauguration of parliament had violated the rules.
The PDK claims that Kurti’s ruling Vetevendosje party violated the 30-day deadline to inaugurate parliament and that the assembly cannot be considered inaugurated until all five deputy speakers are elected.
On Sunday, the PDK withdrew its candidate for the post of deputy speaker, while four other deputies were elected.
Vetevendosje leader Kurti was re-elected Prime Minister by MPs at a session boycotted by opposition parties. A narrow majority of 62 MPs out of 120 voted in favour of Kurti’s new cabinet. Eight MPs from the Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista voted against.
However, on Monday evening, the election of a new state President received another setback when the sole candidate for the post, Bekim Sejdiu, announced his withdrawal following disagreements within his Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, over his candidacy.
Kurti and LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku had agreed on his name on August 31 – but six LDK MPs then announced they would not support him, leaving the potential vote without the necessary quorum.
Failure to elect a new President within two months of the inauguration of parliament would trigger new elections, the fourth within less than two months.
“Under such circumstances, characterised by the lack of the necessary parliamentary support for my election as President and by the deviation of the entire process into the vortex of internal political dynamics and clashes, I have decided to withdraw from the candidacy for President,” Sejdiu, a former Constitutional Court judge and diplomat, said in a Facebook post.
“I call on the political parties to find a way out of this vicious circle, which, more than anything else, is eroding citizens’ hopes of a prosperous future for them and their families,” he added.
LDK leader Abdixhiku lamented the lack of support for his candidacy. “His withdrawal in the face of political hysteria shows exactly why a person with such a character would be an appropriate pick for President,” Abdixhiku said.
“It’s a pity that we don’t have a President today. Instead of a solution, we have political chaos, a blockade as a means, and new elections, once again, as a goal,” he added.
Vetevendosje also regretted the withdrawal – and accused opposition MPs of trying to provoke new elections.
“When a boycott is used to make a vote impossible, then we don’t have political difference around a candidate but the blockage of a constitutional process and taking the country to repeated elections,” Vetevendosje said.
