Gathered on Friday, for the sixth time, efforts to officially constitute the Kosovo Assembly continue to stall. The process remains blocked due to the inability of the winning party of the February 9 elections, Vetëvendosje,  to secure the necessary votes for its nominee for Speaker of Parliament.

MP and acting Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu, Vetëvendosje’s proposed candidate for the position, once again received only 57 votes, falling short of the 61 votes required to form the parliament. This marked the fourth vote in which Haxhiu failed to gain the necessary support. Several parliamentary parties view her as an unacceptable figure, but Vetëvendosje has stood firm in its stance that she is a qualified and deserving candidate.

The continuation of the constitutive session has been scheduled for April 27.

Following the adjournment of the session, Vetëvendosje MP Hekuran Murati reiterated that the party will not withdraw Haxhiu’s nomination, despite the ongoing lack of support.

“We wanted to give the Assembly a woman as Speaker. This is our proposal, and it has not changed—nor will it,” Murati stated.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, leader Memli Krasniqi, accused Vetëvendosje of intentionally blocking the constitution of the Assembly by refusing to reconsider their nominee for Speaker. 

“One thing is clear: Albulena Haxhiu will not pass. If they truly wanted a solution, they’ve had multiple opportunities—today, two days ago, and four days ago. They’ll have the same opportunity again the day after tomorrow: change the candidate,” Krasniqi said.

He argued that Vetëvendosje is stalling because it does not have enough votes to form a new government.

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, leader Ramush Haradinaj mentioned similar criticism, stating that while his party is open to supporting other female candidates from VV, such as Shqipe Selimi or Saranda Bogujevci, it will not vote for Haxhiu.

The Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, has taken a firmer stance, refusing to support any candidate proposed by Vetëvendosje, regardless of who it is.

The ninth legislature of the Kosovo Assembly, which emerged from the February 9 elections, still has not been formally constituted. The constitutive session, which first began on April 15, has been interrupted several times due to political deadlock.

According to the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, a constitutive session must resume within 48 hours of its interruption and may be continued as many times as necessary.

Vetëvendosje secured 42.3 percent of the vote in the February 9 parliamentary elections, earning them 48 out of 120 seats in the Assembly. To form a government, however, a party or coalition needs at least 61 seats. PDK holds 24 seats and LDK holds 20 seats, and AAK holds eight seats. 

Additionally, 20 seats in the Kosovo Assembly are reserved for non-majority communities—ten for the Serbian community, and ten for Bosniak, Turkish, Gorani, Ashkali, Egyptian, and Romani communities combined.