Latest news with #Vetevendosje
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kosovo in political stalemate as parliament fails to elect speaker
By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's parliament failed to elect a new speaker for the fourth time on Friday, prolonging a legislative crisis that has prevented efforts to form a new government more than two months after an inconclusive election. Under Kosovo's constitution, a parliamentary speaker must be voted in before the election winner can form a government, but without cross-party support that is proving difficult, and the stalemate has exposed deep divisions in Europe's newest state. In the February 9 parliamentary election, following an acrimonious campaign in which outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the opposition "animals" and "thieves", his Vetevendosje party came first but did not secure an outright majority. Opposition parties, who have said they will not enter a coalition with Vetevendosje, partly blame Kurti for escalating the tensions in the country's Serb-majority north that have hobbled Kosovo's chances of joining the EU and triggered sanctions from the bloc. The fractured political scene could result in a snap election later this year if no government can be formed. Kurti's nominee for speaker, outgoing justice minister Albulena Haxhiu, received 57 votes on Friday, unchanged from previous votes and short of a required majority of 61 seats. Parliament must meet again in 48 hours to hold another vote. Opposition parties have asked Kurti to change the candidate if he wants their support. "There is no will from political parties to constitute the parliament," Haxhiu said after the vote. By law, parliament must continue to meet until a speaker is voted in. After that the country's president will give Kurti's party a mandate to form a new ruling coalition. If Kurti fails, the mandate will be handed to the second-placed Democratic Party of Kosovo and, if they do not succeed, the third-placed Democratic League of Kosovo party. If all efforts fail, the president can call snap elections - an outcome many analysts expect.
The Star
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Kosovo in political stalemate as parliament fails to elect speaker
Lawmakers gather for the plenary session to elect the new speaker of the parliament in Pristina, Kosovo April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's parliament failed to elect a new speaker for the fourth time on Friday, prolonging a legislative crisis that has prevented efforts to form a new government more than two months after an inconclusive election. Under Kosovo's constitution, a parliamentary speaker must be voted in before the election winner can form a government, but without cross-party support that is proving difficult, and the stalemate has exposed deep divisions in Europe's newest state. In the February 9 parliamentary election, following an acrimonious campaign in which outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the opposition "animals" and "thieves", his Vetevendosje party came first but did not secure an outright majority. Opposition parties, who have said they will not enter a coalition with Vetevendosje, partly blame Kurti for escalating the tensions in the country's Serb-majority north that have hobbled Kosovo's chances of joining the EU and triggered sanctions from the bloc. The fractured political scene could result in a snap election later this year if no government can be formed. Kurti's nominee for speaker, outgoing justice minister Albulena Haxhiu, received 57 votes on Friday, unchanged from previous votes and short of a required majority of 61 seats. Parliament must meet again in 48 hours to hold another vote. Opposition parties have asked Kurti to change the candidate if he wants their support. "There is no will from political parties to constitute the parliament," Haxhiu said after the vote. By law, parliament must continue to meet until a speaker is voted in. After that the country's president will give Kurti's party a mandate to form a new ruling coalition. If Kurti fails, the mandate will be handed to the second-placed Democratic Party of Kosovo and, if they do not succeed, the third-placed Democratic League of Kosovo party. If all efforts fail, the president can call snap elections - an outcome many analysts expect. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Edward McAllister and Hugh Lawson)
Straits Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Kosovo in political stalemate as parliament fails to elect speaker
Albulena Haxhiu, nominee of the Self-Determination party for the speaker of the parliament, leaves the plenary session, in Pristina, Kosovo April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj Outgoing Prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti arrives for the plenary session to elect the new speaker of the parliament in Pristina, Kosovo April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj Lawmakers gather for the plenary session to elect the new speaker of the parliament in Pristina, Kosovo April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj PRISTINA - Kosovo's parliament failed to elect a new speaker for the fourth time on Friday, prolonging a legislative crisis that has prevented efforts to form a new government more than two months after an inconclusive election. Under Kosovo's constitution, a parliamentary speaker must be voted in before the election winner can form a government, but without cross-party support that is proving difficult, and the stalemate has exposed deep divisions in Europe's newest state. In the February 9 parliamentary election, following an acrimonious campaign in which outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the opposition "animals" and "thieves", his Vetevendosje party came first but did not secure an outright majority. Opposition parties, who have said they will not enter a coalition with Vetevendosje, partly blame Kurti for escalating the tensions in the country's Serb-majority north that have hobbled Kosovo's chances of joining the EU and triggered sanctions from the bloc. The fractured political scene could result in a snap election later this year if no government can be formed. Kurti's nominee for speaker, outgoing justice minister Albulena Haxhiu, received 57 votes on Friday, unchanged from previous votes and short of a required majority of 61 seats. Parliament must meet again in 48 hours to hold another vote. Opposition parties have asked Kurti to change the candidate if he wants their support. "There is no will from political parties to constitute the parliament," Haxhiu said after the vote. By law, parliament must continue to meet until a speaker is voted in. After that the country's president will give Kurti's party a mandate to form a new ruling coalition. If Kurti fails, the mandate will be handed to the second-placed Democratic Party of Kosovo and, if they do not succeed, the third-placed Democratic League of Kosovo party. If all efforts fail, the president can call snap elections - an outcome many analysts expect. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Kosovo in political stalemate as parliament fails to elect speaker
PRISTINA, April 25 (Reuters) - Kosovo's parliament failed to elect a new speaker for the fourth time on Friday, prolonging a legislative crisis that has prevented efforts to form a new government more than two months after an inconclusive election. Under Kosovo's constitution, a parliamentary speaker must be voted in before the election winner can form a government, but without cross-party support that is proving difficult, and the stalemate has exposed deep divisions in Europe's newest state. In the February 9 parliamentary election, following an acrimonious campaign in which outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the opposition "animals" and "thieves", his Vetevendosje party came first but did not secure an outright majority. Opposition parties, who have said they will not enter a coalition with Vetevendosje, partly blame Kurti for escalating the tensions in the country's Serb-majority north that have hobbled Kosovo's chances of joining the EU and triggered sanctions from the bloc. The fractured political scene could result in a snap election later this year if no government can be formed. Kurti's nominee for speaker, outgoing justice minister Albulena Haxhiu, received 57 votes on Friday, unchanged from previous votes and short of a required majority of 61 seats. Parliament must meet again in 48 hours to hold another vote. Opposition parties have asked Kurti to change the candidate if he wants their support. "There is no will from political parties to constitute the parliament," Haxhiu said after the vote. By law, parliament must continue to meet until a speaker is voted in. After that the country's president will give Kurti's party a mandate to form a new ruling coalition. If Kurti fails, the mandate will be handed to the second-placed Democratic Party of Kosovo and, if they do not succeed, the third-placed Democratic League of Kosovo party. If all efforts fail, the president can call snap elections - an outcome many analysts expect.
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.
