Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla announced on Tuesday that she is stepping down from her position as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora and withdrawing from membership of her party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK.

Haradinaj-Stublla has been the subject of recent allegations of vote-rigging in the press, with Insajderi reporting on Sunday that her husband, Dardan Stublla, bribed election commissioners to help her win a seat at the Kosovo Assembly. The portal also provided an alleged “wiretap” recording of a conversation between Stublla and an election commissioner.

In a Facebook post announcing her resignation, Haradinaj-Stublla urged the State Prosecutor’s Office to shed light on the veracity of the recording and the allegations against her as quickly as possible.

The former minister stated that her decision to resign was a “moral obligation” and not due to any responsibility “for the manipulations and accusations that have been ruthlessly leveled at [her].” She added that lawsuits filed for defamation, slander and blackmail “will remain active.”

On Monday, AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj called on justice institutions to investigate any electoral irregularities, stressing the importance of pluralism and internal democracy within his party. “Manipulators, whoever they are and for whatever interests, I wish them merited punishments,” he stated.

In her resignation statement, Haradinaj-Stublla described leaving AAK as something “she never thought would come.” However, the former minister added that she was “at peace” with “leaving the toxic presence of some people who make the AAK an unreformable party, and its isolated leader [Ramush] Haradinaj.”

Haradinaj-Stublla previously served as an advisor to Ramush Haradinaj during his time as prime minister between 2017-2019. She was appointed foreign minister on June 3, 2020, becoming the first woman to hold the position full time in Kosovo.