The Democratic League of Kosovo have announced Avdullah Hoti as their nominee for prime minister. Avdullah Hoti will be tasked with forming Kosovo’s new government.
LDK member Avdullah Hoti served as co-Deputy Prime Minister under Kosovo’s Outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti until he was dismissed by the latter for voting against Kurti’s government in the vote of no-confidence that ousted it. He also served as Kosovo’s as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2017.
LDK has nominated Hoti even though, in the general elections six months ago, it campaigned with Vjosa Osmani as candidate for Prime Minister. LDK’s most voted MP, Osmani was elected Speaker of the Parliament following the LVV-LDK coalition. However, during the vote of no-confidence against Kurti brought forth by LDK, Osmani, who is also deputy head of LDK, voted against her party’s motion. She also publicly called on members of her party not to vote for the motion. Osmani chose not to attend LDK’s meeting today.
Following a meeting with all the parliamentary parties, Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaçi announced yesterday that he would mandate any parliamentary party to form a new government, once they prove they are able to gain a majority in parliament. Today, Thaçi officially asked LDK leader Isa Mustafa to submit a nominee for prime minister.
LDK has agreed on a coalition with former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj’s party AAK, Nisma+AKR coalition, and minority parties.
Outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti was ousted by a vote of no-confidence, only 52 days after assuming power, due to Kurti’s refusal to lift tariffs on Serbian goods as per the U.S. administration’s demand.
Consequently, President Thaçi asked Kurti’s party Vetevendosja (LVV) to submit a prime minister nominee that would form a new government. Kurti did not do so for three weeks, citing the coronavirus pandemic as a priority but stating specifically that his party was not refusing to submit a nominee, and insisted the country hold new elections once the pandemic is over.
Kosovo’s Constitution does not mandate a deadline by when Kurti should have submitted a nominee. Thaçi chose not to ask for a constitutional interpretation and considered LVV’s inaction as them giving up their constitutional right to submit a nominee. He asked the party with the second-most votes in the election, LDK, to submit a nominee, instead. LVV has deemed the president’s push for a new government and the whole process unconstitutional.
