Kosovo’s new parliament held its first session today, following the October 6th early elections. The two former opposition parties that came first in elections, Lëvizja Vetëvendosje (LVV) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) are still struggling to come to a governing coalition agreement.
Glauk Konjufca of the LVV was elected Speaker of Parliament with 75 votes pro and 29 against.
The two parties have been negotiating a deal to form the country’s new government since after the October elections. The leftist LVV won 29 of the 120 seats in the Kosovo parliament, and the center-right LDK won 28. The numbers of seats appear to have complicated negotiations more than the parties’ position in the political spectrum.
The LDK had reportedly asked for the post of parliament speaker, and to appoint the country’s president in 2021 from its ranks. It’s not clear what Konjufca’s election might mean for the negations between the two parties, as the LDK MPs also voted for him today.
The parliament also elected three deputy speakers: Kujtim Shala from LDK, Arbërie Nagavci from LVV, and Memli Krasniqi from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).
