Glauk Konjufca, Speaker of the Assembly. Photo: Urim Krasniqi/Prishtina Insight.

If Association with Executive Powers Becomes Mandatory, Kosovo Faces New Elections, Assembly Speaker Says

The Speaker of the Parliament of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, stated that Kosovo has received strong guarantees that the Association will not become a third level of power; but, if the opposite happens, the country will go to snap elections.

The speaker of the Parliament Glauk Konjufca declared in a televised interview on Wednesday, that Kosovo has received strong international guarantees that no third level of power will be created with the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority. Also, it has been made clear that the red lines of constitutional performance will not be affected.

Konjufca emphasized that the request for an Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority, apart from the fact that it is foreseen by the 2013 agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, it is a request of the latter, and not a request of the Serbian community in Kosovo.

“We have received strong guarantees that the Association will be a kind of forum. But, if it is required to have executive powers or constitutional changes are brought forth as a result, I think that nothing will matter anymore and the country should go to elections”, he underlined.

Konjufca added that the Government as well as the opposition have already strongly and openly opposed an Association with executive powers.

Article 7 of  the Implementation annex  agreed in Ohrid between the two countries on March 19 states: ‘Kosovo launches immediate negotiations within the EU-facilitated Dialogue on establishing specific arrangements and guarantees to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo, in compliance with relevant previous Dialogue agreements as determined by the EU Facilitator’.

Meanwhile, when asked about the formation of an Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo, Prime Minister Albin Kurti noted that the agreement mentioned “self management” for Kosovo Serbs, adding he will continue to be the Prime Minister of all Kosovo citizens, no matter their ethnic or religious affiliation.

Dissatisfaction with the documents on the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia was also expressed by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani. On Wednesday, she declared that Kurti was presented with terrible documents; by her, Kosovo did well to reject them.

“We were consulted during the meetings in Ohrid, but also afterwards when we talked in detail about the documents and the different versions that were before the Prime Minister and Kosovo delegation. These are terrible versions which the Republic of Kosovo has done well not to accept despite the extremely unfair pressures put on Kosovo – quite undue in relation to the other side”, said Osmani.

“It is hard to believe that someone from the international community takes such an initiative and proposes such things,”  Osmani further added.

Last Saturday night, after a marathon meeting in Ohrid, North Macedonia, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that both Serbia and Kosovo had reached a deal on implementing the EU-backed plan for normalization of ties.

23/03/2023 - 16:23

23 March 2023 - 16:23

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