Yesterday the Parliament of Kosovo voted to dismiss the government of Isa Mustafa. According to Kosovar news agency Zëri, from the 115 deputies who were present, 78 votes in favor of the motion of no confidence, 34 against, while 3 abstained. The motion was also supported by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), which is part of the government coalition.
Leader of the PDK parliamentary group Zenun Pajaziti invited everyone to vote for the will of the citizens and in the interest of the citizens. This caused several of the PDK deputies to support the motion, enough to get it accepted.
Foreign representatives responded directly to the events. The EU Ambassador in Kosovo declared that the fall of the government would delay the visa liberalization process. EU Spokesperson Maja Kocijančič, however, stressed that “it is important that […] the dialogue mediated by the EU and liberalization of the visa continues to the advantage of the people of Kosovo.”
The US Embassy declared in a press statement:
The Assembly has spoken. As the transition proceeds and the country gears up for early elections we call on all officials who remain in government to re-commit themselves to serve Kosovo’s citizens – all of them – who are their employers. We continue in our steadfast support for Kosovo, its citizens, and its path to full Euro-Atlantic integration.
On May 5, Fatmir Limaj, leader of opposition party Nisma për Kosovën, handed in 42 signatures in Parliament for a motion of no confidence against the Mustafa government. Mustafa’s government has been in power since 2014, as a coalition of Mustafa’s LDK and the PDK of current President Hashim Thaçi.
The reason for the motion of no confidence has been the failure of the government to implement its policy program and pass a number of important pieces of legislation.
