Latest news with #Self-DeterminationMovement
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kosovo's president sets Oct. 12 for municipal elections while a legislative impasse continues
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo 's president on Monday set Oct. 12 as the date for municipal elections, while the country remains in a legislative impasse without a functioning parliament and a new Cabinet since its Feb. 9 parliamentary vote. President Vjosa Osmani urged political parties, organizations and public institutions to ensure an all-inclusive, free and fair process. The last municipal elections in October 2021, for mayors of 38 municipalities and about 1,000 town hall lawmakers, were mainly won by center-right opposition parties. The Srpska List party of Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority, which is close to the Serbian government in Belgrade, won the 10 seats in northern Kosovar municipalities. Municipal authorities run the local economy, education, health, infrastructure, natural resources, tourism, culture and sports but not defense or public order institutions. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement won the Feb. 9 parliamentary election with 48 of 120 seats, falling short of the required majority of 61 to elect a new speaker or form a Cabinet on its own. The parliament has not succeeded in electing the new speaker, as deputies in opposition parties object to Kurti's candidate. Lawmakers have tried and failed 29 times since the first session of parliament in April 15. The Constitution imposes no deadline to elect one. Without a speaker, Kurti cannot be formally nominated as prime minister and form a Cabinet. If the situation continues, the president can turn to any of the other parties. If no party can form a Cabinet, the country will face another parliamentary election. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Most Western nations recognize its sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. ___ Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kosovo's president sets Oct. 12 for municipal elections while a legislative impasse continues
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo 's president on Monday set Oct. 12 as the date for municipal elections, while the country remains in a legislative impasse without a functioning parliament and a new Cabinet since its Feb. 9 parliamentary vote. President Vjosa Osmani urged political parties, organizations and public institutions to ensure an all-inclusive, free and fair process. The last municipal elections in October 2021, for mayors of 38 municipalities and about 1,000 town hall lawmakers, were mainly won by center-right opposition parties. The Srpska List party of Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority, which is close to the Serbian government in Belgrade, won the 10 seats in northern Kosovar municipalities. Municipal authorities run the local economy, education, health, infrastructure, natural resources, tourism, culture and sports but not defense or public order institutions. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement won the Feb. 9 parliamentary election with 48 of 120 seats, falling short of the required majority of 61 to elect a new speaker or form a Cabinet on its own. The parliament has not succeeded in electing the new speaker, as deputies in opposition parties object to Kurti's candidate. Lawmakers have tried and failed 29 times since the first session of parliament in April 15. The Constitution imposes no deadline to elect one. Without a speaker, Kurti cannot be formally nominated as prime minister and form a Cabinet. If the situation continues, the president can turn to any of the other parties. If no party can form a Cabinet, the country will face another parliamentary election. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Most Western nations recognize its sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. ___ Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kosovo's parliament faces post-election deadlock after opposition blocks minority ruling party
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The inaugural session of Kosovo's newly-elected parliament was cancelled on Tuesday after it failed to constitute new lawmakers, a move which could take the country into a prolonged legal saga before a new cabinet can be formed. Following a short delay to proceedings, the opposition voted against a report into whether acting prime minister Albin Kurti and his cabinet acted in line with the constitution when they failed to resign following the Feb. 9 election, when Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, won 48 out of 120-seats, falling short of the majority needed to form a cabinet on its own. In 2021, the party won 58 seats. Though Vetevendosje! distributed a letter of resignation on Tuesday, as required under the constitution, the acting speaker cancelled the session, adding that parliament would consult the president on how to proceed. Once the lawmakers' mandate and the election of the parliament's speaker and its deputies have been approved, the president will send to parliament a letter of nomination for Kurti, who Vetevendosje! has designated as prime minister. While he needs a simple majority in parliament, or 61 votes, to form a cabinet, Kurti has previously ruled out a coalition with the center-right Democratic Party of Kosovo, or PDK, which was runner up in the election with 24 seats, or the conservative governing Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, which won 20 seats, or the right-wing Alliance for Kosovo's Future, AAK, which has 8 seats. The three opposition parties have also ruled out any coalition with Kurti or Vetevendosje!. Kurti could turn to 10 non-Serb minority MPs, but he would still need at least three other votes. If Kurti fails to form a cabinet, the president is entitled to turn to any of the other parties. If no party can form a cabinet, the country will face early parliamentary election. A new cabinet would be needed not only to run the country's economy and other services, but also proceed with the 14-year-long normalization talks with Serbia which have failed to make progress and bilateral ties are tense. Around 11,400 people died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, mostly from Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority. A 78-day NATO air campaign ended the fighting and pushed Serbian forces out. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with most Western nations recognizing its sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. The EU and the United States have urged Kosovo and Serbia to implement agreements reached two years ago that include a commitment by Kosovo to establish an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities and Serbia's obligation to provide de facto recognition of Kosovo. —— Semini reported from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Associated Press
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Kosovo's parliament faces post-election deadlock after opposition blocks minority ruling party
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The inaugural session of Kosovo's newly-elected parliament was cancelled on Tuesday after it failed to constitute new lawmakers, a move which could take the country into a prolonged legal saga before a new cabinet can be formed. Following a short delay to proceedings, the opposition voted against a report into whether acting prime minister Albin Kurti and his cabinet acted in line with the constitution when they failed to resign following the Feb. 9 election, when Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, won 48 out of 120-seats, falling short of the majority needed to form a cabinet on its own. In 2021, the party won 58 seats. Though Vetevendosje! distributed a letter of resignation on Tuesday, as required under the constitution, the acting speaker cancelled the session, adding that parliament would consult the president on how to proceed. Once the lawmakers' mandate and the election of the parliament's speaker and its deputies have been approved, the president will send to parliament a letter of nomination for Kurti, who Vetevendosje! has designated as prime minister. While he needs a simple majority in parliament, or 61 votes, to form a cabinet, Kurti has previously ruled out a coalition with the center-right Democratic Party of Kosovo, or PDK, which was runner up in the election with 24 seats, or the conservative governing Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, which won 20 seats, or the right-wing Alliance for Kosovo's Future, AAK, which has 8 seats. The three opposition parties have also ruled out any coalition with Kurti or Vetevendosje!. Kurti could turn to 10 non-Serb minority MPs, but he would still need at least three other votes. If Kurti fails to form a cabinet, the president is entitled to turn to any of the other parties. If no party can form a cabinet, the country will face early parliamentary election. A new cabinet would be needed not only to run the country's economy and other services, but also proceed with the 14-year-long normalization talks with Serbia which have failed to make progress and bilateral ties are tense. Around 11,400 people died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, mostly from Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority. A 78-day NATO air campaign ended the fighting and pushed Serbian forces out. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with most Western nations recognizing its sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. The EU and the United States have urged Kosovo and Serbia to implement agreements reached two years ago that include a commitment by Kosovo to establish an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities and Serbia's obligation to provide de facto recognition of Kosovo. —— Semini reported from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Euronews
10-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
New government in Kosovo faces multiple challenges
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's left-wing Self-Determination Movement party won the most seats in the country's parliamentary election. Short of a majority in the house, the party, known as Vetevendosje, will have to enter a coalition to form the next government. Self-Determination Movement won roughly 41% of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission, the election governing body. The Democratic Party of Kosovo, or PDK, whose main leaders stand accused of war crimes and are detained at the Netherlands-based international criminal tribunal in The Hague, won around 22% of the vote. Next, with just under 18% of the vote is the Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, the oldest party in the country. The LDK lost much of its support after the death in 2006 of its leader, Ibrahim Rugova. The Alliance for Kosovo's Future party, led by former prime minister Ramush Haradinaj, garnered 7.44% of the vote. The turnout, meanwhile, was around 40% according to election officials. Despite falling short of an election majority, Kurti was upbeat after the results came through. His remarks gave little away in terms of who he might seek to form a coalition government with. 'The people won. Vetevendosje won. We are the winners who will form the next cabinet,' Kurti told journalists as his supporters took to the streets to celebrate. Challenges ahead Kurti's new term will face multiple challenges after Washington froze foreign aid and the European Union suspended funding for certain projects in the country almost two years ago. The prime minister is also under pressure to increase public salaries and pensions, improve education and health services, as well as fight poverty. Kosovo, with a population of 1.6 million, is one of the poorest countries in Europe with an annual gross domestic product of less than €6,000 euro per capita. Kurti is also likely to try and repair ties with Western powers, at odds since his cabinet took several steps that raised tensions with Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic Serbs, including a ban on the use of the Serbian currency, the dinar, and dinar transfers to Kosovo's ethnic Serb population. Currently, Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority in effect depends on Belgrade's social services and payments. The US, the EU and the NATO-led stabilisation force in Kosovo, or KFOR, have urged the government in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, to refrain from unilateral actions, fearing the revival of inter-ethnic conflict. Talks between Kosovo and Serbia that were backed by the US collapsed in 2023, and were followed by violence which has kept tensions high between the two sides. The EU's ambassador to Kosovo, Aivo Orav, expressed hope that the formation of a new cabinet would be 'smooth'. He said that the new government should meet the expectations of the population, most of whom support Kosovo's desire to join the 27-nation bloc. 'Normalisation of relations is a must for Kosovo and for Serbia,' he said. The election marked the first time since independence in 2008 that Kosovo's parliament completed a full four-year mandate. It was the ninth parliamentary vote in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-1999 war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists that pushed Serbian forces out following a 78-day NATO air campaign.
