- Haradinaj to north citizens: Go to the polls (RTV21)
- Preparations for elections in north begin (RTK1)
- Thaçi: No compromise to be made with law on behalf of daily political loyalty (RTK)
- Hoti: Only new elections pave way to establishment of legitimate institutions (Klan Kosova)
- Waste collected at Roma neighbourhood in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje (KTV)
- G7 calls upon Kosovo and Serbia to normalise relations (KTV)
- Meta: Crucial that Kosovo and Serbia resume dialogue (RTK)
- Sixty-four public officials violated legal deadline for declaration of assets (KTV)
- Kosnett: Kosovo to ratify Istanbul Convention (RTK)
News
Haradinaj to north citizens: Go to the polls
(RTV21)
Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi has called elections in the north. The elections have been called in four municipalities in the north: Zubin Potok, Zvecan/Zveçan, Leposavic/Leposaviq and Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North.
For the May 19 elections, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj called on all political entities to compete, as well as on all citizens to go to the polls.
On a Facebook post, he called on political entities to represent the interests of citizens by taking part in elections, as well as on citizens to turn out and vote for the best candidates.
“I call for free and democratic elections, based on Kosovo laws and the Kosovo Constitution, and for the highest international democratic standards,” Haradinaj concluded.
Preparations for elections in north begin
(RTK1)
Central Election Commission (CEC), chaired by Valdete Daka, held a meeting on Monday on organising extraordinary mayoral elections in the municipalities of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north, Zubin Potok, Leposavic/Leposaviq, and Zvecan/Zveçan.
The CEC meeting was held after the President Hashim Thaçi called for 19th May mayoral elections in those four municipalities, since their mayors who come from Srpska Lista, an entity which is close to the Serbian President Alekssandar Vucic, recently resigned.
At Monday’s meeting, CEC decided to set the deadlines for electoral activities for the Extraordinary Elections in these four municipalities.
Application of political entities and candidates will start on April 9, and will end on April 18; certification and publication of political entities and candidates will be conducted on 22nd of April; ballot lottery withdrawal will take place on 28th of April.
Deadline for setting campaign spending limits is 12 April, and election campaigns and deadlines for election rallies will begin on 13 May, and will end on 17 May.
Submission of requests for accreditation for election observation and observer organizations will start on 9 April, and will end on 12 May; appointments of Municipal Election Commissions (MECs) will take place on 15 April; application for registration as out of Kosovo voter will start on 25 April, and will end on 30 April.
Application for registration as a special need voter will start on May 9, and will end on May 13.
Thaçi: No compromise to be made with law on behalf of daily political loyalty
(RTK)
“No compromise with the law will happen on behalf of ethnic affiliation or daily political loyalty. Observance of the Constitution takes full effect only when sovereignty and legality are respected throughout the entire territory of Kosovo. All are equal before the law. Only those who respect the law can be in Kosovo’s institutions”, Kosovo President Thaçi stated.
During a ceremony marking 11th anniversary of the Day of Kosovo Constitution on Monday evening, Thaçi delivered the following speech: https://www.president-ksgov.net/en/news/president-thaci-no-compromise-to-be-made-with-the-law-on-behalf-of-daily-political-loyalty
Hoti: Only new elections pave way to establishment of legitimate institutions
(Klan Kosova)
The LDK caucus leader Avdullah Hoti said that only new elections pave the way to the establishment of legitimate institutions that can ensure internal political and social consensus.
According to him, as long as there is no internal political and social consensus in Kosovo, based on the principles of the Constitution, there can be no Dialogue with Serbia.
“Freezing of Kosovo’s relations with the EU and US is going in favour of nepotism and corrupt actions of PAN partners.
Kosovo’s foreign policy is inexistent, completely defensive, trying to prevent the revocation of recognitions. Important visits to Kosovo are almost inexistent, as well as visits abroad of the heads of institutions.
Citizens should have their say, the sooner the better, for Kosovo’s journey towards the EU and consolidation of Kosovo’s statehood in the international arena,” Hoti wrote on a Facebook post.
Waste collected at Roma neighbourhood in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje
(KTV)
On the International Roma Day, Let’s Do It Kosova organisation undertook the action to clean one of the neighbourhoods resided by Roma community members in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje municipality.
Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Fatmir Matoshi said that taking care of residential area surroundings was necessary for health and life of our children.
“We will be here today to clean this environment. However, it is not enough to clean it today, and in a few days to restore it to the previous condition. I ask for Roma community and for all others to take care of the areas where our children our growing up, because it is useful for health of our next generations. We need a clean place for all communities in Kosovo,” Minister Matoshi said, a statement to the media was quoted.
Minister Matoshi said that this is the Year of the Environment; therefore, all of us together should take care for a cleaner environment.
“We will continue investments in building an infrastructure for waste collection and management. We have launched a grant of 7 million euro together with GIZ, we have allocated 1. 2 million euro to several beneficiary municipalities, in the coming days we will proceed to distribute waste containers. In addition, we have another grant from the Japanese Government for waste management equipment,” Matoshi added.
This action was also attended by the OSCE Ambassador in Kosovo, Jan Braathu, who said that everybody should work together for improvement of the situation of citizens and environment in general.
“The waste issue should be managed starting from the local and central level, so that citizens to have a place where to dump waste. Of course, the OSCE Mission will cooperate with everybody in this process, in order that the situation of citizens is improved,” Ambassador Braathu said.
Fehmi Gashi, a Roma community representative, said that on the International Roma Day, everybody together have launched an action to collect waste in the neighbourhood where this community lives.
The action organiser, Luan Hasanaj of Let’s Do It Kosova, said that several cleaning actions have been taken in the neighbourhood where Roma community lives, but he added that this needs to be done more frequently, including together with the municipality of Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje.
G7 calls upon Kosovo and Serbia to normalise relations
(KTV)
Almost 12 years later, Kosovo has again returned to statements of the seven most powerful countries in the globe.
G7 has called upon Kosovo and Serbia to advocate constructively for normalisation of relations through a comprehensive, legally binding agreement.
This is considered great news in Kosovo.
Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj says that this statement shows that Kosovo is not only a European, but also a global priority.
According to him, this is a new undertaking to conclude the state-building process; therefore, he says that Kosovo should use this opportunity.
Hoxhaj spoke also about his communication with Commissioner Johannes Hahn, following obstructions by Serbia at the regional meeting which was supposed to take place in Prishtinë/Pristina last month.
In his response, Hahn accused both Kosovo and Serbia for mutual provocations, and Hoxhaj says that Kosovo should report every action of Serbia.
Besides last month’s actions in Prishtinë/Pristina, a few days ago Serbians also impeded participation of the Minister of Economic Development Valdrin Lluka and the Innovation Centre representatives at the Digital Summit in Belgrade.
Meta: Crucial that Kosovo and Serbia resume dialogue
(RTK)
The Albanian President Ilir Meta called for resumption of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, RTK portal reported.
On a Facebook post, Meta said that these two countries should resume dialogue.
“It is crucial that Kosovo and Serbia resume dialogue aiming final durable and implementable agreement, respect EU values, normalize bilateral relations and strengthens peace, security and stability in Western Balkans region. @osce @oscepa,” Meta wrote.
Sixty-four public officials violated legal deadline for declaration of assets
(KTV)
Out of 4839 public officials who were obliged to declare their assets at the Anti-Corruption Agency, 64 of them did not respect the legal deadline.
Thus, these public officials have committed legal violations against which this Agency may initiate criminal charges at the Prosecutor’s Office.
PDK MP Andin Hoti is among the senior officials who declared their assets after the legal deadline, as same as other senior officials from the Correctional Service, the Municipalities, the Presidency and other institutions.
However, according to Director of the Department for Prevention of Corruption in this Agency, some of these officials have sent their justifications for the delay in declaring the assets.
Last year, 86 public officials had not declared their assets.
The Anti-Corruption Agency had filed criminal charges for non-declaration.
But this Agency was not satisfied with the sentences issued by the courts, although false declaration or non-declaration can be punished by up to five years imprisonment.
Kosnett: Kosovo to ratify Istanbul Convention
(RTK)
The US Ambassador to Kosovo Philipp Kosnett urged Kosovo Assembly Members to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
He said that if Kosovo can take this step, it would send a message that it is readying for Euro-Atlantic integration.
“I urge Kosovo to ratify the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. If Kosovo can take this step, your leaders send a strong message that Kosovo is readying itself for Euro-Atlantic integration,” Ambassador Kosnett wrote.
