UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, August 19, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Constitutional Court calls for constitution of Assembly within 30 days (media)
VV: Court’s decision arbitrary, undermines democracy, echoes PDK (media)
Opposition urges swift Assembly session following court’s ruling (media)
PDK to challenge ERO decision in Kosovo’s Constitutional Court (media)
“Over 120 direct testimonies in indictment for expulsion of Albanians” (KTV)
SL leaders interviewed, arrest warrants requested for Rakic and 11 others (media)
KFOR helps Kosovo agency in tackling wildfires in Gjakova municipality (media)
Serbian provocative graffiti against Kosovo appears in Montenegro (Telegrafi)

Serbian Language Media:

Kosovo Special Prosecution requests arrest warrants be issued for Rakic and 11 more persons (Radio KIM, media)
Zaporozac: Kosovo and local authorities are carrying out institutional violence against Serbs (Kosovo Online)
Where did the Ten Commandments sign from the entrance to Mitrovica North disappear? (KoSSev, Alternativna.com, media)
Krieziu: Constitutional Court ruling final, responsibility also lies with MPs (Kosovo Online)
Vucic calls Council for National Security meeting (N1)

International Media:

Energy market reform leaves Kosovo’s big businesses sweating (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Constitutional Court calls for constitution of Assembly within 30 days (media)

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo has published on Monday the full judgment regarding the blockade in the Assembly and the same has also been published in the Official Gazette, thus paving the way for the continuation of the constitutive session.

The Constitutional Court has given the reasons that the MPs of the Assembly of Kosovo must elect the new head of the legislative body through open voting and within 30 days, a deadline that begins to run from Tuesday.

According to the verdict, the move to secret ballot, which the Vetevendosje Movement insisted on, was not supported by other entities, and consequently the chairperson was ordered to proceed with item 3 of the agenda from the next session, the voting procedure for the speaker of parliament.

The Constitutional Court also clarified the limitation of the number of votes for the candidate for speaker of parliament to only three times, a point for which LVV had accused it of inventing a new norm. “In this context, the Court considers that the continuous proposal for voting for the same candidate for Speaker of the Assembly by the largest parliamentary group should not serve as a blocking mechanism that would prevent the achievement of a majority of votes of all MPs. For this purpose, the Court assesses that the definition of an unblocking mechanism for the proposal of the candidate for Speaker of the Assembly is considered necessary and would essentially serve the fulfillment of the constitutional obligation for the constitution of the Assembly and the beginning of its functioning as a representative body of the sovereign. In light of this elaboration, the Court assesses that in the event of failure to achieve a majority of votes of all MPs for the election of the Speaker of the Assembly, the voting for the candidate proposed for Speaker of the Assembly may only be carried out up to 3 (three) times for the same candidate”, the judgment states.

The Court made this finding by taking the example of the election of leaders of other institutions. “The Court also links this finding to the constitutional and legal provisions regarding the voting of the heads of other institutions by the Assembly (see Article 86 [Election of the President] of the Constitution and Article 9 (Election of the Ombudsman) of Law No. 05/L019 on the Ombudsman), a process that takes place within a specified period and through a reasonable number of voting rounds. Therefore, the Court considers that limiting the possibility of voting for the same candidate for Speaker of the Assembly up to 3 (three) times is considered a mechanism and opportunity for the elected MPs, in the spirit of constructive cooperation, in the spirit of exercising their constitutional mandate according to the provisions of the Constitution, to achieve the fulfillment of their constitutional obligations for the election of the Speaker of the Assembly,” the judgment further states.

The Constitutional Court has found that the elected MPs have not implemented the previous Judgment, that of June 26, and consequently all the continuations of the session held from June 27 to July 26 have been declared invalid.

However, the Constitutional Court in the Judgment does not mention the possible legal consequences if the MPs do not ascertain the Assembly within the specified deadline.

The Constitutional Court in the full judgment also announced that on August 7, Judge Radomir Laban had requested to be excluded from decision-making in the cases submitted by the PDK and LDK, which the Constitutional Court has joined, as well as in the one submitted by President Osmani.

VV: Court’s decision arbitrary, undermines democracy, echoes PDK (media)

The Vetevendosje Movement (VV) issued a strong reaction after the Constitutional Court’s verdict was published on Monday. Posting on Facebook, the party criticized the decision as arbitrary, saying the court effectively crafted a new rule by means of its ruling. They condemned the verdict as a blatant overreach that undermines democratic norms.

VV argued that the Court exceeds its institutional jurisdiction, and the delay in the verdict’s publication further underscores the arbitrary nature of the ruling. “These narrow arguments today are a consequence of the expansive oversteps the court has allowed itself,” the statement reads. VV insisted that while the reaffirmation that secret voting is not unconstitutional was expected, the court’s bias, stating that a lack of political consensus justified intervention, even though no vote had taken place, risked echoing undemocratic, obstructionist patterns that had previously failed.

The party rejected the analogy used by the court to compare this case to elections for other parliamentary positions. They assert the Constitution defines the rounds and legal consequences for the presidential election clearly, an approach that should not be applied to other institutions. VV suggested that the court appears to be laying the groundwork for allowing other parties to propose a candidate if the first party fails after 30 days, echoing opposition-driven narratives in public comments. Additionally, VV criticized the court for failing to draw on constitutional models or rulings from European or global jurisprudence, deeming it a uniquely isolated case.

Opposition urges swift Assembly session following court’s ruling (media)

Political parties that served in the previous legislature welcomed the Constitutional Court’s publication of its full verdict in the Official Gazette, which mandates that Members of Parliament must constitute the Assembly swiftly. They have called on the presiding officer, Avni Dehari, to convene the constitutive session without delay.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), emphasized that Kosovo urgently needs functional institutions, not prolonged delays. PDK leader Memli Krasniqi underscored that all sessions from June 27 to July 26 have been deemed invalid by the Court and asserted that it is Dehari’s obligation to proceed with the open vote for the Speaker, as the ruling demands.

Similarly, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) reaffirmed that while the right to propose the Speaker lies with the largest parliamentary group, they refuse to support any candidate from Vetevendosje, deeming prior attempts unconstitutional and overly obstructive.

The Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) welcomed the ruling as a critical step toward reestablishing constitutional order, reaffirming the responsibility and boundaries of all stakeholders.

PDK to challenge ERO decision in Kosovo’s Constitutional Court (media)

The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, announced that this week his party will file an appeal to the Constitutional Court against the decision by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO). The decision, which requires 1,300 businesses to enter the liberalized energy market, was deemed unfair by Krasniqi, who argued that ERO failed to establish even minimal conditions for its implementation. Initially, PDK challenged this in regular courts, but their appeals were dismissed by the Basic Court and upheld by the Court of Appeals.

In coordination with attorney Faton Fetahu and the PDK legal team, Krasniqi confirmed that all legal prerequisites have now been met for challenging the ERO decision at the highest judicial level. They will also request a preliminary injunction to halt the decision’s enforcement until the Constitutional Court reaches a final ruling. Krasniqi framed the case not merely as a legal battle but as a fight to protect businesses, Kosovo’s economy, workers, and their families from exploitative policies that have forced them to pay energy prices reportedly 280% higher, benefiting government licensed companies.

He assured that PDK will remain steadfast in defending Kosovo’s people and entrepreneurs, striving to halt what he called a grave injustice and safeguard the public interest.

“Over 120 direct testimonies in indictment for expulsion of Albanians” (KTV)

Atdhe Dema, a Kosovo prosecutor for war crimes, commented on Monday on the recent indictment filed by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo for the forceful expulsion of over 860,000 Albanian civilians from Kosovo in January-June 1999. He said they had found evidence against 21 suspects and that it involves the second line of command at the then-state level of Serbia. “The indictment is about the chain of command. This is one of the biggest indictments. A lot of work has gone into this from several factors. The indictment includes the whole territory of Kosovo. The decision to initiate investigations was made in 2022 and we have worked intensively on this for three years … There was an organization back then [in 1999] to expel Albanians from their lands. This included the systematic destruction of civilian properties, including the burning of houses, and other actions that resulted in the expulsion from Kosovo,” he said.

Dema said that the testimonies in the indictment are convincing and shocking and that the indictment includes over 120 direct testimonies.

“It is great fortune that there are still witnesses with a fresh memory of what happened. We think we have offered sufficient evidence. We have also used documents from the court in the Hague,” he said.

SL leaders interviewed, arrest warrants requested for Rakic and 11 others (media)

The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo has requested arrest warrants for former Serbian List leader Goran Rakic and eleven other individuals in connection with the 2022 barricade incidents in northern Kosovo. Prosecutor's spokeswoman Arbnora Luta confirmed that the current Serbian List leader Zlatan Elek and MPs Slavko and Igor Simic have already responded to summonses and been interviewed.

However, Goran Rakic, now serving as a member of the Serbian Parliament for the Serbian Progressive Party, failed to attend three scheduled interviews. Initially, he cited health reasons supported by a medical note, but subsequently gave no justification for his absences. As a result, the Special Prosecutor’s Office petitioned the Basic Court in Pristina to issue an arrest warrant to ensure his appearance. The investigations concern criminal charges including obstruction of official duties, calls for resistance, and unconstitutional activity. Additionally, the same request covers 11 other suspects.

At the time of the barricades, Rakic held multiple official roles: he was both an MP and serving as the director of the public waste management company JKP Standard. Waste trucks from this company were reportedly used in the barricade blockades.

KFOR helps Kosovo agency in tackling wildfires in Gjakova municipality (media)

NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said in a Facebook post on Monday that U.S. Aviation soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East mission assisted the Kosovo Emergency Management Agency in tackling wildfires in the municipality of Gjakova. “Two KFOR UH-60 Black Hawk crews, equipped with Bambi Buckets, carried out multiple aerial water drops to help contain the blazes threatening local communities and infrastructure. Over a five-hour period, the crews completed 12 drops, delivering more than 2,500 liters of water to the affected areas. Such efforts underscore KFOR’s ability to respond swiftly, within means and capabilities, to emergencies and reaffirm its steadfast commitment to protecting local communities and supporting civil authorities,” the post notes.

Serbian provocative graffiti against Kosovo appears in Montenegro (Telegrafi)

The news website reported on Monday evening that a Serbian provocative graffiti against Kosovo “When the army returns to Kosovo” appeared yesterday on the main street of the town of Kolasin in Montenegro. The graffiti has been interpreted as an open provocation against Albanians living in Montenegro and also visitors from Albanian lands that visit the touristic area of this mountainous town. The news website recalls that the same graffiti was earlier seen in several cities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Serbian Language Media

Kosovo Special Prosecution requests arrest warrants be issued for Rakic and 11 more persons (Radio KIM, media)

Kosovo Special Prosecution has requested arrest warrants be issued for the former leader of the Serbian List Goran Rakic and 11 more persons, Radio KIM reported on Monday evening. The request was filed at Basic Court in Pristina, seeking an arrest warrant for Goran Rakic in relation to the barricade case in northern Kosovo from 2022.

In this case, as member of the Serbian List Igor Simic said, representatives of the Serbian List responded to summons. As Pristina-based Koha reported, Rakic who is treated as a suspect in the barricade case from 2022 said initially he was not able to respond to summons due to health reasons.

The spokesperson of the Special Prosecution, Arbnora Luta confirmed that the leader of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek and MPs Slavko Simic and Igor Simic have been interviewed already. She also said Rakic justified his absence on the first occasion citing health reasons, while for the other two summons, as she said, he did not provide any justification.

As prosecution said, the arrest warrant was requested for 11 more persons in the barricade 2022 case, which also include “criminal offences of obstructing official persons in carrying out official duties, incitement to resistance and joint enterprise for unconstitutional activities”. At the time of the barricades in northern Kosovo in 2022, Goran Rakic was Serbian List President and MP in Kosovo Assembly, Radio KIM recalled.

Zaporozac: Kosovo and local authorities are carrying out institutional violence against Serbs (Kosovo Online)

Ivan Zaporozac, Serbian List Vice President emphasized that “Kosovo and local authorities in North Mitrovica are carrying out institutional violence against Serbs and that a silent ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people is underway”, Kosovo Online portal reported.

“No matter how harmless it may sound to organize sports or cultural events, that is institutional violence because it is carried out against the will of the majority Serbian population. What happened in North Mitrovica on the promenade, where the majority of citizens are Serbs, is absolutely something organized against the will of the people”, he told Newsmax Balkans, referring to the sports and cultural event organized by Albanian authorities in North Mitrovica. Zaporozac said that the current Mitrovica North mayor Erden Atiq, who will certainly soon be out of office, organized something that could have led to conflict.

At the same time, he recalled, Serbian children are forbidden from playing sports and participating in sports events, while just a few months ago they were even stripped of the right to train when the sports hall was closed. “The situation on the ground is completely different from the way they want to present it. What they are doing is direct ethnic cleansing”, Zaporozac said.