Haradinaj: Political deadlock will be solved in next Assembly session (Koha)
Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), says in an interview for the paper that the opposition coalition has already finalized its preparations for the upcoming session of the Kosovo Assembly if the PDK candidate fails to get enough votes. Haradinaj said point 126 of the decision of the Constitutional Court allows for the resolution of the political deadlock. He said LDK leader Isa Mustafa will be elected President of the Assembly and that if this is rejected by the chairperson (a PDK MP) then she will be replaced through a motion.
PDK expects split in the LDK (RTK)
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) will try to buy time until there is a crack in the opposition coalition (LDK-AAK-NISMA). Sources from the PDK, who prefer to remain anonymous, believe there is a growing split in the LDK and that part of its MPs, chairmanship and branches are not pleased with Isa Mustafa’s coalition with the AAK. Sources said the divisions in the LDK are growing bigger especially after the decision of the Constitutional Court to declare Mustafa’s election as Assembly President as invalid.
Krasniqi: Court decision is politically-motivated and corrupt (RTK)
Jakup Krasniqi, former Assembly President and chairman of the National Council of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), argued on Wednesday that the decision of the Constitutional Court was politically-motivated and corrupt. Krasniqi wrote on his Facebook account that the Constitutional Court does not deserve to be respected, “because respect is won with fair decisions, and the Court has not done this”.
Vetevendosje’s Molliqaj indicates anti-PDK protests (Koha)
Vetevendosje’s organizational secretary, Dardan Molliqaj, told KTV on Wednesday that there could be protests against the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) if it continues to block the establishment of institutions and try to remain in power at all costs. “Co-government with the PDK with or without Thaci would be detrimental to Kosovo’s interests and this is why political parties have positioned themselves against talks with the PDK. The PDK now has to reflect and understand that political parties are not willing to enter a government with it. If Thaci plans to use methods of conditioning, capturing institutions, blackmail and threats, then I think all those interested in defending the Republic and democracy must call on civic awareness and together with the people to oppose and protest against the PDK,” Molliqaj was quoted as saying.
EULEX will not stop cooperating with northerners (Tribuna)
The European Union’s rule of law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) is determined to continue cooperating with representatives of the northern municipalities even though the latter said they would cease cooperation with the EU mission if it doesn’t stop arrests in the north. EULEX officials told Tribuna that they are committed to implementing the mission for which they were invited by Kosovo institutions. “EULEX reiterates its position to foster constructive working relations with all local institutions in assisting with issues related to the rule of law throughout Kosovo,” EULEX spokesman Miguel Carvalho de Faria said. Speaking on arrests in the north, he said such matters are in the hands of courts that are independent in their proceedings. “Courts make decisions in accordance with the law. Our mission respects the autonomy of prosecutors and the independence of judges as a corner-stone of the judicial system,” Faria added.
An Albanian wounded in Kosovo-Serbia border (Koha)
A Kosovo Albanian from the village of Dumnica, Podujevo, is believed to have been wounded on Wednesday night inside the territory of Serbia while he was cutting wood. Kosovo Police told Koha on Wednesday that they were notified about the case but that they don’t exactly what happened. “A person told he went out with his brother to cut wood in Serbian territory. He said someone wounded his brother,” a police spokesman told the paper. “We don’t know if the victim is in the territory of Kosovo or Serbia”. Meanwhile, the Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs said a police patrol ran into a large number of Albanians cutting wood in the region of Orlovac-Matarove.
