• COVID-19: 707 new cases, 10 deaths (media)
• Health Minister: Citizens must change their behavior (media)
• “Healthcare workers, elderly and people with chronic illnesses to have priority” (media)
• Hoti backed down from negotiations on Association/Community (Koha)
• Kosovo, Albania condemn deletion of Albanian residents’ addresses in Presevo (media)
• Serbian delegation refused permission to visit Kosovo (media)
• Osmani terminates mandate of Serbian List’s representative to CEC (media)
• Emini: The Hoti show must not go on (Prishtina Insight)

COVID-19: 707 new cases, 10 deaths (media)

707 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths from the virus have been recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (380). 550 patients have recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 13,206 active cases of coronavirus in Kosovo.

Health Minister: Citizens must change their behavior (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health Armend Zemaj said on Sunday that Kosovo citizens must change their behaviors toward the coronavirus.

“The deadly virus must be stopped. With masks, distance and hygiene; for the time being, we have no other choice. I call on the citizens to change their behaviors because we want to see different results. Together we can make it,” Zemaj said during a visit to the General Hospital in the municipality of Gjilan.

“Healthcare workers, elderly and people with chronic illnesses to have priority” (media)

Prishtina Mayor Shpend Ahmeti took to Facebook on Sunday to say that in addition to the order for COVID-19 vaccines, the Kosovo government must also have in place a distribution plan.

“It is crucial to secure at least a minimal amount where a priority for vaccination would be given to healthcare workers, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses,” he said. 

Hoti backed down from negotiations on Association/Community (Koha)

The Hoti-led government had planned in September to lay the foundations for the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities but then backed down after then-President Hashim Thaci called on the Assembly to adopt a resolution preventing Hoti to negotiate on the Association/Community. Different from public statements, Prime Minister Hoti had agreed to negotiate the issue with the Serbian delegation in Brussels.

Sources from the Kosovo government told Koha that negotiations were scheduled to begin in September and that Hoti had appointed a team of government officials and foreign experts that would be led by Skender Hyseni, the government’s coordinator for the dialogue. Two days prior to the meeting however Hyseni postponed the meeting indefinitely. “Since then, there were no institutional actions by the government on the issue,” the source said.

Kosovo, Albania condemn deletion of Albanian residents’ addresses in Presevo (media)

Foreign ministers of Kosovo and Albania, Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla and Gent Cakaj, issued a joint statement expressing concern over what they said were deliberate actions of Serbian authorities to delete addresses of Albanian residents in the Presevo Valley which they warned results in an inaccurate reflection of the demographic composition of the region.

“This state practice applied in a completely arbitrary and deliberate way, constitutes a new form of oppression exercised against Albanians in the Preshevo Valley. Therefore, while we strongly condemn such institutional practice, we call on Serbian authorities to immediately cease the intentional systematic passivisation of Albanians’ addresses,” the two ministers said.

Haradinaj-Stublla and Cakaj also called on the international community, particularly the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, to act without delay and stop the practice.

Serbian delegation refused permission to visit Kosovo (media)

The Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has refused permission to a delegation from Serbia, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, to visit Kosovo over the weekend.

In its justification, the Ministry said the request by Serbian officials which comes at a time when Kosovo is facing the reopening of wounds regarding the missing persons and the discovery of mass graves with bodies of Albanians killed more than twenty years ago is “offensive and more than just a provocation.”

“Any request of Serbia under these circumstances will always get the same answer,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Osmani terminates mandate of Serbian List’s representative to CEC (media)

Acting President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has cut short the mandate of Nenad Rikalo, representative of the Serbian List, to the Central Election Commission (CEC).

The media report that Osmani’s move was triggered by the appointment of Rikalo to a government position in Serbia while Osmani said on social media that she will not decree persons engaged in the Serbian Government to undermine Kosovo’s sovereignty.

Emini: The Hoti show must not go on (Prishtina Insight)

Opinion piece by Donika Emini, Executive Director of the CiviKos Platform, a secretariat gathering 260 civil society organisations in Kosovo.

At a time of unprecedented crisis in the country, what’s essential is political legitimacy – which is precisely what AvdullahHoti’s government does not have.

The legitimacy of Avdullah’sHoti government is under question for multiple reasons, starting from the way the old political elite, responsible for “state capture” in Kosovo, brought a visionless government to power during the darkest days of our country following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

What has followed is a lack of vision, internal polarization within the government, tensions in parliament and the shameless misuse of power – all while the citizens face a multi-frontal crisis, completely detached from the political elite.

If the government fails to deliver for its citizens in the midst of a major crisis, what is the point of it persisting in staying in power?

It is a question that has tormented all of us in Kosovo, ever since Hoti took office in June.

Hoti’s priority in his governing programme when he took power was economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing confusing figures that claimed his “brilliant” economic background would save the economy and the country. His LDK party’s tradition of experience in diplomacy, meanwhile, would magically improve Kosovo’s position internationally.

Starting with the latter, what Hoti signed under Donald Trump’s auspices in the White House in Washington in September – whatever its content – was not a product of his own engagement. The agreement in fact contained elements that he and his party vocally rejected, such as a proposed regional “mini-Schengen” agreement. But he signed, as he was expected to. After all, his signature to the agreement had brought him to power, and was part of a trade-off with former President Hashim Thaci, who actively lobbied to persuade members of the Kosovo Assembly to support Hoti’s government.

Similarly, in EU circles, Hoti earns praise for being a partner in the EU-led dialogue with Serbia. This, however, is hardly something to be proud of. The EU has traditionally cooperated with whoever keeps to its stability agenda, and is willing to bend in tough situations in Brussels. Engaged in a non-transparent dialogue, the current government risks creating another deadlock in the process as a result of its internal lack of consensus and coordination.

The latest debate and the demand of the opposition for Hoti to reveal the details of the discussion points in Brussels on the fate of missing people reflects the internal polarization in relation to this process, The arrogance and lack of political will to address the most sensitive topic have triggered heated debates. Thus, this time, the damages caused by the Hoti government may be politically costly for Kosovo and have a detrimental impact on its future.

When speaking about the current government’s illusion of fixing Kosovo externally, the EU visa liberalization process comes to minds. The German presidency of the EU was the biggest window of opportunity for Kosovo to push for this long overdue process.

If the Council’s agenda at its next meeting in December does not discuss visa liberalization for Kosovo now, can Kosovo’s foreign policy really be judged a success? Also, can Kosovo really showcase its commitment to France and the Netherlands – as the two most skeptical member states – concerning its fight against corruption? The critical reactions of several member states and of the EU itself after the anti-corruption task force was dissolved speak volumes about the level of disappointment in this field.

At home, what really is the program or strategy of this government? The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the country hard, exhausting the underfunded health sector. Citizens are being forced to pay for COVID-19 treatment and for medicines costing anything from 200 to 2,000 euros.

Without the passage of a Law on Economic Recovery – which would potentially unlock some state assistance – the new health measures are expected to have a negative impact on Kosovo’s already damaged private sector. Projections are that 100,000 jobs will be lost in Kosovo by the end of the year, and the impact of the pandemic will take years to alleviate.

The government’s inability to pass the Law on Economic Recovery after several attempts showcases its lack of power in the Assembly, but also provides it with a political alibi.

It is persisting on purpose in pushing for a law that clearly will not get support in the Assembly. This is not a naïve move on its part but a bid to spread and share out blame for the PM’s own failures – failures to deliver what his government was confident it would be successful at. This will provide it with the perfect excuse; a recovery plan was there but did not pass because “others” did not support it.

This approach has pushed debate in the Assembly to a whole different level. Turning the most important political institution into an arena for individual fist fights has caused huge disappointment among citizens. Changes in the government have left some of the politicians who won the most votes out of the Assembly, leaving the future of the country in the hands of immature and unscrupulous politicians who show zero empathy for the citizens.

While political leaders calculate their next move to tighten their authoritarian grip, and further strengthen state capture, the President’s vacant post needs to be filled next spring and the country is plunging deeper into a political and socio-economic crisis. At this critical juncture, political legitimacy is the key.

Snap elections are imperative. Only a fully functional government backed by a stable assembly will be able to steer the country through this unprecedented crisis into which healthcare, economic and institutional crises are rolled into one.