Kosovo’s opposition, Vetevendosje requested the dismissal of the Deputy Prime Minister, Driton Selmanaj following his statement in a debate over the missing persons of the war.
Commenting a heated debate in the Parliament between MPs of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and Vetevendosje on the missing person issue, Selmanaj said that they “were tired of this approach” of MPs. He claimed that Vetevendosje was using the issue for political points.
Selmanaj who comes from LDK stated during an interview for Prishtina- based TV T7 last week that Vetevendosje’s MP, Saranda Bogujevci was “extremely abusing the issue”.
This statement sparked reactions by politicians, civil society and many others protecting Bogujevci who herself is a survival of a massacre in Podujeva, where among the 14 victims shot dead were her family members. The youngest victim of a Serb paramilitary unit was a 2 year old. Bogujevci who was 13 at the time was shot 16 times, but survived.
The situation was created last week in parliament when Bogujevci criticized the Government for equating the issue of missing and displaced persons, and proposed a resolution.
“The Assembly calls on the government not to negotiate with any official from Serbia until they find out the whereabouts of all persons listed as missing during the last war,“ reads a point of the resolution Bogujevci proposed.
Selmanaj claims that Vetevendosje has distorted his statement.
“Four days after Prime Minister reported in the Parliament, I was invited to report before the parliamentary committee for the same issue [missing persons] and I have assessed that the reporting instrument is consumed, not the issue,” Selmanaj said.
Through a press conference on Monday, Vetevendosje insists on their request for Selmanaj’s dismissal.
“Such a stance is unacceptable, firstly from the moral point of view, secondly, it is a deep lack of respect towards the victims and their families and thirdly, because it irreparably damages everywhere the state position of Kosovo,” the Acting Head of Vetevendosje’s parliamentary group, Libur Aliu said.
Another MP from Vetevendosje, Dimal Basha wrote on Facebook that they will not allow parliamentary sessions to take place when Selmanaj is present.
“As a Parliamentary Group we have decided to refuse to allow the continuation of any plenary session where Driton Selmanaj is present. For as a movement, this man is unacceptable in the Assembly,” Basha wrote.
