Kosovo’s Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has accused President Hashim Thaçi of overstepping his authority and jeopardizing the constitutional order by announcing that he will offer the mandate to form a new government to any party that gains a majority of votes in parliament, without calling early elections.
In a press conference on Wednesday, following Thaçi’s decision, Kurti stated that the president is illegitimate, and his consultations with political parties on whether they favored new elections or a new government, are in violation of the Constitution.
Today’s [event] is the most outrageous attempt by the President to undo the constitutional order by trying to shut the people’s will expressed in elections through an anti-constitutional decree that will exclude the party winning the election [from forming the government].
[Departing] from his role of representing the unity of people, as determined by the Constitution, the President became illegitimate. Therefore, when today’s statements are formalized they will no doubt end up at the Constitutional Court. It is clear that the President was given this chance by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), who willingly renounced every statement and promise to the people.
On Wednesday, President Thaçi informed Kurti’s Vetevendosje (LVV), the largest party in parliament, that he considered their lack of nominee for prime minister as refusal to exercise their constitutional right.
Thaçi then held consultations with all political parties and asked whether they wanted to have new elections or form a new government. All parties except LVV supported they form a new government. The President announced he would offer the prime minister mandate to the candidate of any party that gains enough votes in parliament.
LDK and other opposition parties have agreed on a coalition, and it is expected to announce their nominee for prime minister tomorrow.
LVV and LDK were governing coalition partners for 52 days, before LDK filed a no-confidence vote against the government due to Kurti’s refusal to lift tariffs on Serbian goods as per the U.S. administration’s demand.
Asked whether he would leave the prime minister’s office if a new government was voted in parliament, Kurti said any new government without early elections taking place would be illegitimate.
