UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, August 27, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Speaker interrupts session due to lack of consensus for Serb deputy speaker (media)
Osmani hopes Assembly will be constituted as soon as possible (media)
Murati calls for Rasic to be elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly (media)
Haxhiu: I hope opposition will reflect by Thursday (media)
Krasniqi: PDK voted for Basha to prove it is not contributing to blockade (Klan)
Rohde: Lack of political will is hindering resolution of crisis in Kosovo (media)
Hargreaves welcomes Basha’s election and calls for Assembly formation (RTK)
COMKFOR, North Macedonia’s Defense Minister discuss regional security, Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Reporteri)
New bridge opens; people express enthusiasm and ease for freedom of movement (Telegrafi)
One-month detention for suspect in attack on KFOR and Police in Zvecan (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Four deputy speakers elected, candidate of Serbian List not elected (media)
Simic: International representatives silent on violation of rights of Serbian people (media, social media)
Petkovic: Kurti tried to push through Rasic (media, social media)
Cakolli: Improper nomination of Assembly deputy speakers - legal requirements not respected (Kosovo Online, social media)
Krasniqi: Only Serbian List may nominate a candidate from Serbian community, not other parties (Kosovo Online, social media)
Petkovic met Sorensen, discussed Pristina’s escalatory moves against Serbs in Kosovo (media)
Serbian Democracy warns of possible misuse as their complaint against non-certification did not reach ICAP yet (Alternativna, media)
Intensified work on construction of a pedestrian bridge in Mitrovica North (media)
Opposition leader calls for transitional government (N1)

Opinion:

Kosovo à la Trump (part 3): The politics of tacit humiliation (KoSSev)
Mitrovica: Between murals and dumpsters (KoSSev)

International Media:

Kosovo elects parliament speaker, ending months of political stalemate (Reuters)
Kosovo opens controversial new bridge in ethnically-divided Mitrovica (Balkan Insight)
Kosovo elects Parliament Speaker, but deadlock continues (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Speaker interrupts session due to lack of consensus for Serb deputy speaker (media)

The newly elected Kosovo Assembly Speaker Dimal Basha interrupted the constitutive session of the assembly on Tuesday as there was no consensus on the candidate for one of the posts of deputy speaker that is reserved for the Serb community. The constitutive session will resume on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Basha said that the Albanian political parties have agreed to nominate their candidates for deputy speakers in a package. The elected deputy speakers from the Albanian community are: Albulena Haxhiu (Vetevendosje), Vlora Citaku (PDK), Kujtim Shala (LDK).

Osmani hopes Assembly will be constituted as soon as possible (media)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, has welcomed the beginning of the constitution of the new legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo. "The President welcomes the fact that the process of constituting the Assembly has begun to be unblocked and hopes that this process will be completed as soon as possible, in accordance with the Constitution. She wishes successful and country-focused work to the new Speaker Dimal Basha and the elected Deputy Speakers of the Assembly, Ms. Albulena Haxhiu, Ms. Vlora Citaku, Mr. Kujtim Shala, and Ms. Emilija Redzepi. The President hopes that as soon as possible, and in accordance with constitutional procedures, the Assembly will also vote on the new Government that has emerged from the will of the citizens in the February 9 elections," the Presidency's statement says.

Murati calls for Rasic to be elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly (media)

Vetevendosje MP Hekuran Murati called on fellow MPs to support the candidacy of Nenad Rasic. “Today we had a parliamentary group, such as that of the LDK, which refused to participate in the vote, despite the fact that the Constitutional Court ruling clearly states that MPs are obliged to take part in voting. On the other hand, we had PDK Mps who abstained,” Murati said.

He added that he hopes the parties that were absent will return for the session scheduled in two days and vote for Rasic. “If the same behavior is repeated by PDK and LDK, either by not participating like LDK or by abstaining, then the message is that no Serbian community MP can receive votes for Deputy Speaker. In that case, the matter could be taken to the Constitutional Court,” he stated.

Murati also emphasized that if four or five more votes are secured from Albanian parties in support of Rashiq, then the Assembly could be fully constituted and “we can ensure that Serbian List will not be part of the Assembly Presidency.”

Haxhiu: I hope opposition will reflect by Thursday (media)

Caretaker Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu has expressed hope that the opposition parties from the previous legislature will reflect and that Nenad Rasic will be elected as Deputy Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly on Thursday. Haxhiu, who herself was elected as a Deputy Speaker, stated that Tuesday was an opportunity to remove the representative of the Serbian List from the Assembly Presidency. “Today there was a chance for the day to end with two pieces of good news: the constitution of the Assembly and the removal of the Serbian List’s representative from the Assembly Presidency. But unfortunately, the opposition lacked both the will and the necessary courage. With just six more votes, Mr. Nenad Rasic would have been elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.

I hope that by Thursday, the opposition will reflect. Knowing that the chief terrorist Milan Radoicic is the formal leader of the Serbian List, let us unite for Kosovo, and especially in honor of our heroes, such as Enver Zymberi and Afrim Bunjaku,” Haxhiu wrote on Facebook.

Krasniqi: PDK voted for Basha to prove it is not contributing to blockade (Klan)

The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, stated in an extensive interview with Klan Kosova that his party voted for the election of Dimal Basha as Speaker of the Assembly in order to demonstrate that it is not contributing to the institutional blockade. “More than for Dimal Basha as an individual, we voted to keep the promise and the word we had given to the citizens of Kosovo: that the Democratic Party is not contributing to the blockade. But within the criteria and parameters we set as a party, we are unlocking the situation and coming out of the political deadlock,” he said.

“There’s a whole backstory, because nothing just happened today. What we’re seeing today is the epilogue of a political crisis that Vetevendosje began a long time ago.”

According to the PDK leader, his party has shown the most consistency during all these months of political gridlock. “Since the election of the Speaker was the breaking point, today was a significant moment. At least since April 15, when the Assembly was supposed to be constituted, Vetevendosje has undertaken a series of actions that contributed to the months-long blockade, a blockade that still wasn’t fully resolved today.”

During the interview, Krasniqi also said that his party would not vote Albin Kurti for Prime Minister of Kosovo.

Rohde: Lack of political will is hindering resolution of crisis in Kosovo (media)

The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has expressed concern over the ongoing political deadlock following the failure to constitute the Assembly. “It seemed to me that this morning there was a brief moment of hope that the crisis could be resolved, but at this moment, it does not appear possible. Perhaps there is not enough political will among the protagonists to find a solution. This is bad for Kosovo, because many funds are at stake, and we need functional institutions, such as the parliament and the government,” Rohde said.

Hargreaves welcomes Basha’s election and calls for Assembly formation (RTK)

The United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, has welcomed the election of Dimal Basha as Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo. “The election of a Speaker of the Assembly is a welcome step forward and shows that political compromise in the national interest is possible if the will exists. I urge Kosovo’s parties to quickly take further steps to complete the formation of the Assembly and a new government,” Hargreaves wrote.

COMKFOR, North Macedonia’s Defense Minister discuss regional security, Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Reporteri)

The Commander of KFOR, Major General Enrico Barduani, met on Tuesday with North Macedonia’s Minister of Defense, Vlado Misajlovski, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Major General Sasko Lafciski, at the Ministry of Defense in Skopje. According to a statement released by KFOR, the meeting focused on KFOR’s continued support for the security situation in Kosovo, regional stability, and the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.“In this context, Major General Barduani reaffirmed KFOR’s commitment to ensuring a safe and secure environment for all communities. He also praised the professionalism of North Macedonia’s contingent and expressed appreciation for their valuable contribution to KFOR, as well as to peace and stability in the region. He emphasized the importance of close cooperation and partnership between KFOR and North Macedonia,” the statement reads.

New bridge opens; people express enthusiasm and ease for freedom of movement (Telegrafi)

The news website reported on Tuesday that one of the two new bridges over the Iber River has been opened for vehicle traffic, marking an important moment for the city of Mitrovica and its residents. Hundreds of people have welcomed this with enthusiasm.

Naser Rashiti who crossed over the new bridge said: “this is very pleasant when we see it without any obstacle. They come freely and they come freely. There is no obstacle … This is pleasant”.

Skender Peci, from Mitrovica, said bridges cause no damage and they only bring benefits for the communities. “Bridges have never caused any damage. Bridges unite people, they unite cities, they cross lakes, and bridges do not damage anyone, they only bring benefits,” he said.

Agron Beqiri, who lives in the Bosniak neighborhood in Mitrovica, said he feels very happy with the construction and the opening of the new bridge for traffic. “A good step for the residents of the neighborhood and for the whole city … this has united two parts, so we can move with vehicles”.

Elheme Ibishi said she was emotional and that she had come to see the new bridge upclose. “We know the reality. We are emotional today and we can here to congratulate on the new bridge”.

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, told the news website that for two months they worked on security measures for the construction work. “This bridge has been opened today. Construction on the bridge lasted for two months. We took several measures that construction would go on without any obstacles, not to have people coming from abroad and obstructing the workers. At the same time, we took measures to avoid any case of incidents, the throwing of grenades or something similar, because we had several such cases in the north of the country,” he said.

Elshani said that the moment that the decision was made to open the bridge today, police removed their special units which are on the site. “Now we have regular police here, and we’re not expecting any problems. A bridge is a bridge, vehicles crossing from point A to point B. In the event of any provocation, we send people back, we deal with them, and we treat these as criminal cases if needed,” he said.

Elshani also called on people from Mitrovica North and Mitrovica South to be careful and not make any provocations. “We have sent to all citizens messages also through the media that the citizens of the north have no reason to worry. We also send messages to the south and to other Albanians that this is a bridge, it is not something else, and they need to be careful and not make any provocations. We are the Kosovo Police, throughout Kosovo, and especially in the north of the country where I am responsible and we will continue to provide services for the citizens of the north of the country,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Four deputy speakers elected, candidate of Serbian List not elected (media)

At the continuation of constitutive session of Kosovo Assembly on Tuesday, three deputy speakers proposed by the three largest parties have been elected so far: Albulena Haxhiu, nominated by Self-Determination, Vlora Citaku, nominated by the PDK, and Kujtim Shala, nominated by the LDK. Of the two deputy speaker positions reserved for non-majority communities, one went to Emilija Redzepi, representing the Bosniak community. After Slavko Simic, nominated by the Serbian List, failed three times to receive the necessary majority for the second deputy speaker post, a draw was held, which also failed to produce a result, leading to the suspension of the session.

MP Elbert Krasniqi proposed Emilija Redzepi as a candidate for deputy speaker from the non-Serb minority communities and requested voting on her candidacy be conducted separately from the Serb candidate.

After him, Serbian List MP Igor Simic, recalling that his party holds nine out of the 10 seats guaranteed for the Serb community, proposed Slavko Simic as deputy speaker. Simic addressed the chamber in Serbian, which prompted protests from some MPs, though after a few minutes they put on headsets to listen to the translation.

Next, MP Nenad Rasic of the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival nominated himself for the deputy speaker position from the Serb community.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/lYsM6

Krasniqi: Only Serbian List may nominate a candidate from Serbian community, not other parties (Kosovo Online, social media)

Political analyst Albert Krasniqi said the procedure for electing two Assembly deputy speakers from non-majority communities must be repeated, as in his view the method applied was not in line with the Constitution, Kosovo Online portal reported.

He emphasized that only the Serbian List may nominate the deputy speaker candidate from the Serbian community, not other parties. “The candidate for deputy speaker from the Serbian community can only be nominated by the Serbian List, which represents the majority of MPs of that community, and not by other political entities”, he wrote on Facebook.

Krasniqi further noted that activation of the procedure of drawing lots can only take place in cases where no candidate has been proposed and must be conducted in the presence of MPs from the respective community. He stressed that without the participation of the Serbian List, the drawing of lots cannot be held.

“The activation of the lottery procedure for selecting a candidate can only be applied in cases where no proposal has been made, and always in the presence of MPs of the relevant community. Without their participation, the lottery cannot take place. Moreover, the scenario of exhausting Serbian List candidacies so that the position would pass to Nenad Rašić of the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival cannot be implemented without the approval of the majority of MPs of that community”, he underlined.

Petkovic met Sorensen, discussed Pristina’s escalatory moves against Serbs in Kosovo (media)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, met Tuesday in Belgrade with the EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Peter Sorensen, to whom he expressed deep concern over a series of escalatory actions recently undertaken by Pristina, particularly in the north of Kosovo, aimed at seriously undermining peace and stability, the Office said in a statement.

As stated, Petkovic stressed that “Pristina acting outside the framework of dialogue and negotiations in Brussels, has been carrying out unilateral and coercive actions that make life unbearable for the Serbian people in Kosovo, while these uncoordinated moves have met with no clear response from the European Union and Brussels. As examples, he cited the opening of the bridge in Kosovska Mitrovica, numerous arbitrary arrests of Serbs, the renaming of streets in northern Kosovo, and the removal of murals dedicated to prominent Serbs”, the statement added.

“Kurti is systematically implementing institutional and physical terror against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, attempting to change the reality on the ground while deliberately avoiding the implementation of agreements already reached and signed. None of this would have happened if, today - twelve years after the signing of the First Brussels Agreement on normalization of relations - we had the Community of Serbian Municipalities established. Its implementation was guaranteed by the European Union, which therefore bears part of the responsibility for the situation on the ground”, Petkovic underlined.

Petkovic also said both official Belgrade and Serbs in Kosovo expect clear support from the international community and condemnation of Pristina’s acts against the Serbs in Kosovo.

Serbian Democracy warns of possible misuse as their complaint against non-certification did not reach ICAP yet (Alternativna, media)

Serbian Democracy informed the public it has filed a complaint against the Central Election Commission’s decision not to certify the party for upcoming local elections, as advised by Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ICAP) via Kosovo post office, on Friday, August 22, 2025 within the envisaged 24-hour deadline, Alternativna.com portal reported. They also published a document proving their mail was handed over to the Kosovo post office for shipment.

However, five days after they mailed the complaint, it still did not reach the ECAP. The Serbian Democracy officials said they were told in the Kosovo post office on Tuesday they may get information about the status of their mail only on Wednesday morning.

"Given serious suspicion that there could be abuses in the work of the institutions, we demand our mail with the complaint be urgently found and immediately delivered to the address of the ICAP, so that it can be decided without further delay", Serbian Democracy underlined.

They added "it is unheard of for the shipment to take (so long) as if it was sent from China to Pristina, and not from Mitrovica North".

Intensified work on construction of a pedestrian bridge in Mitrovica North (media)

After the new bridge over the Ibar River, connecting Mitrovica South and Mitrovica North, was opened to traffic on Tuesday morning, the machinery used until recently for its construction was moved few hundred meters away, where more workers are now engaged in building a second, pedestrian bridge near the Tri solitera neighborhood in Mitrovica North.

These two new bridges - the one opened to traffic on Tuesday and the one under construction for pedestrians now - are located to the left and right sides of the main Ibar River bridge, which remains closed to traffic and guarded by members of the Italian Carabinieri.

Opposition leader calls for transitional government (N1)

Opposition leader Marinika Tepic told N1 on Tuesday that Serbia needs a transitional government to prepare for free and fair elections, N1 reported.

Tepic said her Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) has been calling for a transitional, pre-election government for years, adding that the cabinet would be formed from non-partisan figures. Tepic is deputy leader of the SSP which is led by Dragan Djilas.

She said that the transitional non-partisan government is important because “it could prevent bloodshed” and warned of an acceleration of repression. “We don’t know how many people are in jail…. The repression is increasingly strong… We feel that this should be done to prevent bloodshed. If this continues, I’m afraid we are approaching the worst-case scenario”, she said. According to her, transitional governments in North Macedonia and Montenegro “prevented bloodshed”.

One-month detention for suspect in attack on KFOR and Police in Zvecan (media)

A hearing was held on August 26, 2025, at the Pristina Court for Ljubisha Miljkovic, who is suspected of attacking members of KFOR, the Kosovo Police, and journalists in Zvecan in May 2023. The Special Prosecution requested a one-month detention measure for Ljubisha Miljkovic. He is suspected of having committed four criminal offenses: conspiracy for unconstitutional activity; endangering persons under international protection; participation in a crowd committing a criminal offense and hooliganism; and assault on an official person.

Opinion

Kosovo à la Trump (part 3): The politics of tacit humiliation (KoSSev)

By Dragutin Nenzic

Since a solution for Ukraine still seems relatively far off, we can assume that Trump will not (again) turn his attention to Kosovo - at least not until negotiations over Ukraine (again) collapse. With that in mind, and given that the U.S. still does not have an ambassador in Kosovo (something that may be attributed either to the current state of American diplomacy or to the priorities of U.S. foreign policy), we can also assume that the situation in Kosovo is, in fact, one the U.S. does not want to change - essentially a silent implementation of the Franco-German/European agreement, something increasingly heard in our public discourse.

Starting from that assumption, I will focus this text on it, which will temporarily conclude this series - at least until territorial changes in Ukraine are formally recognized, which will certainly have repercussions for Kosovo as well.

So, what does implementation of the agreement look like? Anyone following KoSSev is surely aware of the militarization of the North, arrests, scandalous trials, assaults on women and girls, intensified inspections, sudden campaigns against illegal construction, evictions, various other provocations, and most recently, the symbolic repainting of graffiti - all of it mono-ethnically directed against Serbs.

In fact, in every one of these forms we see a growing institutionalization of some presumed Serbian guilt - guilt to the point of simply existing in a given space - aimed at the complete erasure of Serbs from the foundations of Kosovo envisioned by the political West between 1999 and 2008.

International Media

Kosovo elects parliament speaker, ending months of political stalemate (Reuters)

Kosovo’s parliament on Tuesday elected a new speaker, ending a six-month legislative crisis that had blocked efforts by the outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti to form a new government after an inconclusive election in February.

Under Kosovo’s constitution, a parliamentary speaker must be voted in before the election winner can form a government, but without cross-party backing that has proved difficult, leading to a stalemate that has exposed deep divisions in Europe's newest state.

In all, the parliament voted more than 50 times before they finally agreed on Dimal Basha, who is from Kurti's party, receiving 73 votes in the 120-seat house.

Five deputy speakers must also be elected, in a vote expected later Tuesday.

Kurti now has two weeks to reach a deal with other parties, including those representing non-Albanian minorities, or the president will hand other parties the mandate to form a government. If those efforts fail, a snap election will take place.

"The parliament is the heart of our democracy, the place where the voices of all citizens are heard," Basha said after the vote. "I feel great responsibility that has been entrusted on me”.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4muuxv4x

Kosovo opens controversial new bridge in ethnically-divided Mitrovica (Balkan Insight)

Kosovo authorities opened a new river bridge in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, a move seen by Serbia as a political stunt that "undermines peace".

Just a few metres from the bridge that divides South and North Mitrovica, across which cars are not allowed to pass, the Kosovo government opened a new bridge on Tuesday, despite objections from local ethnic Serbs and warnings from the international community.

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Facebook on Tuesday morning that “less than two months were needed to construct the 36th bridge in Kosovo over the Iber river. The bridge is open for vehicles as of today from 9am”. Kurti also announced that work on a new pedestrian bridge nearby will be finished by the autumn.