Kosovo Parliament Commences Constitutive Sitting

Kosovo Assembly (BETAPHOTO/ARMENIJA ZAJMI BESEVIC)

On Aug. 6, the 11th convocation of the Assembly of Kosovo commenced its constitutive sitting in Pristina, with four agenda items: the formation of a temporary committee for verifying the quorum and the office of each representative, swearing in the MPs, electing the parliament speaker and electing five deputy speakers.

The formation of the Assembly also marks the beginning of the 60-day countdown for choosing Kosovo’s new president, which is currently the greatest point of contention among the parliament’s parties.

The 15-day deadline for voting in a new cabinet will become active only after the acting president of Kosovo hands over his duties to the candidate nominated by the parliamentary majority.

So far, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement has failed to reach an agreement on the formation of new state institutions with the Assembly’s third largest party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, even after the latest, Aug. 5, sit-down between their leaders – Kurti and Lumir Abdixhiku.

The League’s Aug. 5 caucus meeting reiterated Abdixhiku’s previously voiced opinion that no political agreement should be accepted unless it guarantees the party will receive the office of president.
 
The last parliamentary elections saw the Self-Determination movement win 58 of 120 seats in the Kosovo Assembly. Together with minority parties, the movement can muster the simple, 61-vote majority to constitute the Assembly as well as a new cabinet, but the presidential vote requires a two-thirds majority.

Specifically, in the first two rounds of the presidential election, the winner must have the support of at least 80 MPs.

If a president is not chosen in the first two rounds, the third round is won by the candidate supported by a simple majority (i.e. 61 votes) provided that a minimum of 80 MPs attended the sitting.