The coalition consisting of the PDK, AAK and NISMA (PAN), which won the early 11 June parliamentary elections, are open to coalitions with all political parties from the opposing bloc, the LDK and Vetevendosje, to form a new government. The latter however said they will not enter a coalition with the PAN coalition, namely against a coalition with the PDK.

Haradinaj (does not) have the numbers

In the 11 June elections, no single political party won enough votes to form a new government. The winning coalition’s candidate for Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, has said several times that he has the numbers to form a new government, but that he prefers a broad-based government. Pal Lekaj, a member of the presidency of the Haradinaj-led AAK, said the PAN coalition can form a new government this month.

“Ramush Haradinaj has the numbers to form a new government, but we also call on the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) to join our coalition. If the LDK and Vetevendosje don’t join PAN, Ramush Haradinaj will form a new government with the votes he has now,” Lekaj says.

The PDK-led coalition has won 39 seats in Parliament, but it needs 61 votes from a total of 120 MPs to form a new government. Ramush Haradinaj is counting on the 20 votes of minority MPs, including Kosovo Serbs, and several votes from LDK and Vetevendosje MPs. Nothing has been confirmed yet.

LDK and Vetevendosje against PDK

On the other hand, senior members of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) are categorically against a coalition with PAN, which includes the PDK. The LDK was in the previous ruling coalition with the PDK. The PDK together with opposition parties voted in favor of a motion of no confidence against the Mustafa government. “The PDK poisoned its own well. They cannot convince us to change our minds. They have poisoned the well, they have been ungrateful. We will not join a coalition that includes the PDK,” LDK’s Lutfi Haziri says.

The Vetevendosje Movement, and its candidate for Prime Minister Albin Kurti, are also categorically against any coalition with the PDK. Tinka Kurti, a spokeswoman for Vetevendosje, which won 32 seats in Parliament, told local media that Vetevendosje will form a new government, after PAN fails to do so. Kurti said her party is open to coalitions with all parties, except for PDK. “We believe the people have voted for change. Vetevendosje has become the biggest party, and the PDK has been sent to the opposition,” she said.

Osmani on a coalition with Vetevendosje

Regardless of differences in programs, one of the most voted LDK MPs, Vjosa Osmani, says that the LDK should form a coalition with Vetevendosje and send the PDK in the opposition. “Being that the PDK-AAK-NISMA coalition has 39 MPs, it cannot form a government. So we must form a coalition with Vetevendosje and send the PDK in the opposition,” Osmani says. She adds that if the PAN coalition fails to form a new government, President Hashim Thaci must give the mandate to the coalition that secures at least 61 votes in Parliament.

Vetevendosje too has sent an open invitation to the LDK for a coalition with Albin Kurti as Prime Minister and to as they say “definitely send the PDK in the opposition”. LDK officials openly prefer a coalition with Vetevendosje, but not with Albin Kurti as Prime Minister. They insist that they must have the post of Prime Minister. Vetevendosje has rejected this saying that based on the final election results Albin Kurti has received the biggest number of votes and that he should become Prime Minister.

LDK officials however say that they are ready to stay in the opposition for the next four years and that they will not accept options that are not in their favor.

The Serbian List

On the other hand there is the Serbian List which has 10 seats in Parliament and based on the Constitution it must be part of the government with at least two or three ministries. Serbian List representatives have not yet commented on possible coalitions with Albanian political parties. Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo, said on several occasions that “the Serbian List must ask for the post of Assembly President”. Djuric said that “if an Albanian is president of the Parliament of Macedonia, why should not a Serb be President of the Kosovo Assembly”.

Imer Mushkolaj, political analyst, believes these statements in favor and against possible coalitions to form a new government are normal at this phase and does not see them as firm positions. He argues that “one should not trust political parties that swear they will not enter a coalition with one party or another”.

“The PAN coalition’s candidate for Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, might secure additional votes. Well-known in Kosovo is the phenomenon of smuggling or ‘fishing’ MPs for material gains. I don’t trust statements by political parties that they will not vote for a Haradinaj government, because if we look back at the past it is evident that they don’t stay true to their words,” Mushkolaj said.

The Central Election Commission has said that it will announce the official results of the elections the latest by the end of the week and then it is up to political parties to decide on coalitions to form a new government.

The role of the President

Article 95 of the Constitution of Kosovo clearly states that after the certification of election results, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, in consultation with political parties, or party, or the winning coalition, decrees a candidate for Prime Minister to form a new government. The candidate for Prime Minister has a 15-day deadline to present the composition of the government to the Assembly and asks the Assembly for approval. If it fails to get the required 61 votes, it is considered that the government was not formed by the first candidate. No later than 10 days, it is up to the discretion or the will of the President to give the mandate to the second or third parties (based on percentages of elections) to secure 61 votes to form a new government, or to declare new elections. This was noted in a ruling of the Constitutional Court in 2014, when Kosovo failed to get a new government in over six months. Based on this interpretation, one thing is clear: “the post of the Assembly President belongs to the party or coalition that won the elections, in this case the winning coalition is PAN”.