Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 827 new cases, 16 deaths (media)
• Glauk Konjufca elected Kosovo Assembly Speaker (media)
• Konjufca requests Vetevendosje’s proposal for prime minister (media)
• Kurti-led government set to be voted this afternoon (Telegrafi/Koha)
• PDK expects swift formation of government, reiterates position against Osmani for president (media)
• Turkish community MPs to vote for Kurti-led government (Klan)
• Ambassadors congratulate election of Assembly speaker, presidency (media)
• Kurti: There can be no monoethnic association in Kosovo (KP)

Serbian Language Media:

• 19 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas on Sunday (KoSSev)
• Konjufca elected Assembly Speaker, Serbian List didn’t support his election (Kosovo-online)
• Slavko Simic elected vice president of the Assembly (Kosovo Online) 
• Miletic: New elections do not suit anyone at this moment (RTK2) 
• Baxhaku: The votes of the Serbian List also needed for the election of the president (RTK2)
• Jeremic: Vaccination process in Serbia commendable (Dnevnik)
• Serbian Government partially eases anti-coronavirus measures (N1)
• Additional 55.990 doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived in Serbia (Tanjug)
• Additional 100.000 Sputnik V vaccines arriving in Serbia on Tuesday (N1)

Opinion:

• Say Her Name (Kosovo 2.0)

International:

• Kosovo’s new parliament starts, vote on new govt expected (AP)
• Coronavirus: EU ‘not ready’ to share COVID vaccines with poorer countries (DW)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Vetevendosje’s women MPs dress in white, in nod to gender equality (Kallxo)
• Kosovo Slow to Build Monuments to its Female Heroes (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 827 new cases, 16 deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health said that in the last 24 hours, Kosovo has recorded 827 new cases of coronavirus and 16 related deaths.

518 recoveries were also confirmed during this time period.

Glauk Konjufca elected Kosovo Assembly Speaker (media)

Glauk Konjufca from the Vetevendosje Movement is the new Kosovo Assembly Speaker.

Konjufca received 69 votes in favour, 33 against and no abstentions.

The MPs from the opposition parties – the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) – voted against Konjufca’s appointment. Media are also reporting that the only opposition MP that supported Konjufca’s election is Xhavit Haliti, from the PDK.

113 MPs were present in the voting session.

Konjufca was elected to the post after new MPs were sworn in and their mandates verified by a provisional parliamentary committee. 

MPs also elected deputy speakers which include Saranda Bogujevci from the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), Bedri Hamza from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Kujtim Shala from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). Deputy speakers from the non-majority communities are Slavko Simic from the Serbian List (SL), and Bekim Arifi from the Ashkali Integration Party (PAI). 

Konjufca requests Vetevendosje’s proposal for prime minister (media)

In his first move as Kosovo Assembly Speaker and acting President of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca asked the election winner, the Vetevendosje Movement, to provide the name of the candidate for future prime minister of Kosovo. 

“The Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, namely articles 84(14) and 95(1), set out steps that need to be taken to appoint a candidate for the formation of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. Furthermore, based on the announcement of the Central Election Commission for certification of results of 14 February elections, received by the Office of the President on 13.03.2021, the Vetevendosje Movement has won the necessary majority to form the new Government,” Konjufca said in a letter to LVV leader Albin Kurti in the capacity of acting president of Kosovo. 

Kurti-led government set to be voted this afternoon (Telegrafi/Koha)

Quoting sources, Telegrafi news website reports that the new government of Kosovo led by the Vetevendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti is expected to be voted this afternoon.

Sources said that once Glauk Konjufca is appointed Assembly Speaker and automatically becomes acting President of Kosovo, he will give mandate to Kurti to form the new government.

Koha meanwhile quotes Kurti telling reporters today ahead of the Assembly’s constitutive session that the chances for the new government of Kosovo to be formed today are “very good”. It also says that the Assembly session on formation of the new government will be called for today at 4 p.m.

PDK expects swift formation of government, reiterates position against Osmani for president (media)

Acting leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Enver Hoxhaj said they expect the Vetevendosje Movement to form the new government swiftly but reiterated that they will not be endorsing Vjosa Osmani’s candidacy for president. 

“I want to be clear that we do not accept her of his personal interest being portrayed as being institutional,” Hoxhaj said. “We call on the future government coalition not to be obstructive as no one here can count on PDK for electing the president.”

“For us Osmani is not a unifying factor for the citizens of Kosovo, it is a divisive factor for the citizens of Kosovo, does not unite the political spectrum and has split it. She is a factor of aggressiveness in her political behaviour,” Hoxhaj said.

Turkish community MPs to vote for Kurti-led government (Klan)

Two MPs representing the Kosovo Turkish Democratic Party (KDTP) are expected to support a government led by the Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti, Klan reports. 

“We will vote in favour of the formation of a Kurti Government,” said KDTP’s Fikrim Damka.

Ambassadors congratulate election of Assembly speaker, presidency (media)

Ambassador Tomáš Szunyog, Head of the EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative, conveyed his congratulations to Glauk Konjufca for being elected Assembly Speaker and the election of the Assembly presidency. “Look forward to supra-party leadership, as key to ensuring effective & democratic functioning of the Assembly. @EUKosovo re-affirms support to Kosovo institutions,” he wrote on Twitter.

German Ambassador Jörn Rohde also extended congratulations to Konjufca and VV’s female MPs. “Congratulations to @KonjufcaGlauk on his election as Speaker and the successful constitution of the Parliament of Kosovo,” he wrote in the first of two tweets. In the second Rohde wrote: “Congratulations also to the @LVetevendosje female Members of Parliament. Great to see so many WomenInPolitics!”

Nicholas Abbott, British Ambassador meanwhile wrote: “Congratulations to @KonjufcaGlauk and new deputy speakers on their election. I wish them and the new assembly all the best.”

Italian Ambassador to Kosovo Nicola Orlando tweeted: “Congratulations to the State and the citizens of Kosovo for the inauguration of the new Assembly. I wish new Speaker @KonjufcaGlauk, the new vice Speakers and all MPs success in their responsibility.”

Kurti: There can be no monoethnic association in Kosovo (KP)

Leader of the Vetevendosje Movement Albin Kurti said that Kosovo has many issues to discuss with Serbia and that there can be no mono-ethnic Association of municipalities that would be in line with the Constitutional Court’s decision. He also said Kosovo needs to make proper preparations for entering the dialogue process and that it cannot afford to fail.

Speaking at the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society-run Forum 2015 advocacy platform focusing on Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Kurti said that Serbia owes Kosovo around 3 billion euros and apart from this debt, it also needs to provide war reparations. 

Kurti said that the dialogue process and the decisions taking in its course need to be assessed. “I need to take those documents because I do not know where Mr. Hoti left off. Last time we entered the office, the folders were empty. We need to be well prepared for dialogue, and this is why we should not rush. It is better to be more modest and realistic rather than saying big and short words. We do not have the commodity to fail again.”

“I do not prefer a dialogue that has a director and script writer. We need to define the principles of actors but not their role in six acts including an epilogue and prologue,” Kurti continued.

“The reality needs to be accepted first, second the truth needs to be accepted. We have to be treated equally for the citizens to benefit,” Kurti said. 

Serbian Language Media

19 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas on Sunday (KoSSev)

Out of 66 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas, 19 were positive on Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced on Sunday, KoSSev portal reports.

Out of 19 new cases, 14 were registered in northern Kosovo and five in central Kosovo.

The breakdown of the cases is as follows: five in Mitrovica North, two each in Zvecan and Leposavic, five in Zubin Potok, two each in Strpce and Priluzje and one in Kamenica.

Currently there are 798 active cases.

A total of 122 persons have died in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo due to Covid-19 related complications since the outbreak of the pandemic. 

Gracanica: Four newly infected

KiM radio reported today that in the last 24 hours, four more newly infected with coronavirus have been registered on the territory of the municipality of Gracanica.

According to the Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Gracanica, there are currently 37 patients undergoing hospital treatment.

Konjufca elected Assembly Speaker, Serbian List didn’t support his election (Kosovo-online)

Glauk Konjufca from the Self-determination Movement was elected speaker of the eighth convocation of Kosovo Assembly with 69 votes pro, while his election was not supported by the DPK, LDK and Serbian List, Kosovo-online portal reports.

On behalf of the Self-determination Movement, MP Adnan Rustemi proposed Konjufca as Kosovo Assembly Speaker, and 69 deputies voted for his election, 33 deputies were against, and there were no abstentions.

Konjufca was the head of the highest legislative body after October 6 elections in 2019, when the Self-Determination Movement achieved tight election victory in the race with the LDK.

Konjufca’s position at the time was crucial for unblocking the negotiations between Self-Determination and LDK, because he insisted on the position of parliamentary speaker at all costs, the portal added.

After reaching a coalition agreement with LDK, Konjufca resigned as parliament speaker, to relinquish his position to Vjosa Osmani and become foreign and diaspora minister in Kurti’s first cabinet.

Slavko Simic elected vice president of the Assembly (Kosovo Online) 

Slavko Simic, the Serbian List, was elected Vice President of the Assembly of Kosovo, while on behalf of other non-minority communities, the Vice President of the Assembly will be replaced by a rotation system.

Slavko Simic was elected in front of the Serbian List as the two vice-presidents of the Assembly, who according to the law belong to non-majority communities. The other communities proposed their MPs to change by the rotation system as vice-presidents. 

61 people voted for this proposal, six were against, while 10 deputies abstained.

Miletic: New elections do not suit anyone at this moment (RTK2) 

During the constitution of the eighth convocation of the Kosovo Parliament, no unforeseen circumstances should be expected, believes Petar Miletic, a former member of parliament and vice president of the Assembly of Kosovo, reported RTK2. 

“Given that there is a group in the parliament that has 58 deputies and that practically controls the whole process, I don’t see where it could get stuck in the parliamentary session, possibly it could happen during the election of the President of Kosovo, but today, as far as I had an insight, it is not on the agenda,” says Miletic.

Miletic estimates that the parliamentary bodies will be elected during today’s session without any problems.

Former vice president of the Assembly of Kosovo, Petar Miletic, does not expect that the president of Kosovo will be elected in the parliament today, but that it will be decided after the constitution of the assembly. Speaking about the procedure for electing the President of Kosovo, he says the law provides for three rounds of voting in the Assembly.

“In the first and second round of voting for the election of the president, two-thirds support of the total number of deputies is necessary, which means that at least 80 deputies should vote for the president. However, if the president is not elected in the first two attempts, a simple majority should be provided in the third round, there should be two thirds of the deputies in the hall at all times, and that is what is being speculated about,” Miletic notes.

Those three opposition parties, if they want to prevent the election of the President of Kosovo, can prevent it by not being in the hall at the moment when the President is elected, I’m talking about a third round when a simple majority is needed, if there is none than the voting is invalid and new elections are to be held. 

“I don’t think it suits anyone now, not even the opposition parties, because they need some time to consolidate their ranks after the serious defeat they suffered in this election. I don’t believe that they would like the elections, at this moment. On the other hand, they will be under fierce pressure of the international community to form institutions, because this crisis has been going on for a long time,” Miletic said.

Political parties will act responsibly at this moment, Miletic believes. Even if they do not support the election of Vjosa Osmani, they will be in the hall, which will enable voting in the third round, it is an opinion of the former vice president of the Assembly of Kosovo, Petar Miletic.

Baxhaku: The votes of the Serbian List also needed for the election of the president (RTK2)

After the constitution of the Assembly of Kosovo, the next steps are the election of the President and the election of the Government of Kosovo, Gezim Baxhaku, a journalist and expert on the political situation in Kosovo, told RTK2. Baxhaku said that he expected, as it was most important, that a session of the Assembly be held by March 25, at which the Government would be elected, after which the election of the president would take place. 

Baxhaku said that, as known, Self-Determination, together with a group of non-Serb minorities, ensured that the election of the President of the Assembly and the election of the Prime Minister passed without any problems. However, according to him, the problem arises when it comes to the election of the President of Kosovo.

“According to what is known now, the Serbian list will not be part of the ruling coalition, and they will have no obligation, if they do not want, to vote for president. Of course, their vote largely depends on the instructions they receive from Belgrade, if they get the green light then they will vote. I do not believe that they will vote. If other minorities would vote, two votes for the election of the president would be missing,” Baxhaku said.

Jeremic: Vaccination process in Serbia commendable (Dnevnik)

Leader of People’s Party (NS) Vuk Jeremic said the vaccination process in Serbia is “very good”, adding it was a result of the risk that luckily paid off, Dnevnik daily reports.

“The agreement with China was crucial, according to which we have practically become one of the countries for the third phase of Chinese vaccine Sinopharm testing – it was a very risky move that paid off”, Jeremic said in an interview with Serbian edition of BBC.

“We were lucky, figuratively speaking, we played everything on the red and the red came out. We may better not think about what would happen if that was not the case”, Jeremic said.

Jeremic, as BBC further reported, was vaccinated with Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, despite the fact that he did his doctoral internship in mathematics at Astra-Zeneca Company, whose vaccine is also available in Serbia.

“I was not guided by geopolitics when choosing the vaccine, but exclusively by medical reasons, consulting with many doctors, even from New York,” Jeremic explained.

Jeremic, who is also a former UN General Assembly President, said he can’t imagine being unable to travel to the seat of this world organization in New York just because he received Chinese vaccine, adding he remains optimist when it comes to the future of traveling in an era of “Covid-passports”.

He also opined that production and distribution of the vaccine have become an important element of the soft powers of some states, noting that China has advanced the most in this regard, which could be seen in the case of Serbia.

“Vaccine diplomacy will be another field of rivalry between China and the West, led by the United States, but it is too early to draw the line and see who won and who lost – although China has a significant advantage”, he said.

“Having in mind where the West was only a year ago, with closed borders even among the members of the Schengen system, the situation is much better now. I believe that the Western states will improve their result in times to come”, Jeremic added.

Serbian Government partially eases anti-coronavirus measures (N1)

Serbian Government partially eased the anti-epidemic measures as of Monday, allowing some services closed for the previous five days to work under certain conditions, N1 reports.

Dr Srdja Jankovic, a medical member of the country’s anti-epidemic Crisis Team, told N1 the measures were not new, but “only the corrected existing ones, following requests the Government had received.“

Besides food stores, pharmacies and petrol stations that have only been working for the last five days, as of Monday some other services such as hairdressers, gyms and alike, theatres, movies and libraries would also open.

The conditions stipulated by the Government were that all the premises should secure safe physical distance in line with their size monitored by an employee. The Government also announced a more efficient control of the respect of the measures.

See at: https://bit.ly/3daG7Cb

Additional 55.990 doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived in Serbia (Tanjug)

A regular shipment of Pfizer-Biontech vaccines arrived in Serbia, the Ministry of Health announced, Tanjug news agency reports.

The latest shipment contains 55.990 doses of vaccine against the Covid-19.

At the Belgrade fair, hall 3, the vaccination without prior appointment with Astra-Zeneca vaccine is ongoing. Since Friday, more than one thousand people have received the vaccine this way. 

Doctor Svetlana Micic told RTS the only requirements for the citizens is to be in good health and bring ID cards along. She also said vaccination is a better option than sickness, and urged citizens to use this opportunity for inoculation without prior appointment.  

Additional 100.000 Sputnik V vaccines arriving in Serbia on Tuesday (N1)

A new shipment of 100,000 Sputnik V vaccines will leave Russia for Serbia on Tuesday, Serbian Innovation Minister  Nenad Popovic said Sunday, N1 reports.

“I just received confirmation from my Russian colleague, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov, that a plane with 100,000 new ‘Sputnik V’ vaccines will take off for Serbia on Tuesday night“, Popovic wrote on Twitter.

He also stated that with this, Russia once again “showed it doesn’t abandon Serbs when they need help the most“, thanking them with the words “thank you, brothers“. 

Opinion

Say Her Name (Kosovo 2.0)

The killing of women is intentional – it’s femicide, write Iliriana Banjska, Aulone Kadriu.

Valbona Marku, Klara Marku, Donjeta Pajazitaj, Antigona Morina, Zejnepe Berisha, Dafina Zhubi, Diana Kastrati. 

When we hear their names, many of us are overcome by anger, pain and unanswered questions. 

Valbona Marku, Klara Marku, Donjeta Pajazitaj, Antigona Morina, Zejnepe Berisha, Diana Kastrati. 

When we heard of their deaths, many of us instinctively and rightfully assumed that they were murdered by their partners, husbands or fathers. 

We have come to internalize and expect it. Women are abused by men, and women are murdered by men. 

Sebahate Morina.

That same thought emerged when on March 14, news of the death of 42-year-old Sebahate Morina was reported. She was found dead together with her ex-husband, a case being investigated as murder of Sebahate and suicide of her ex-husband, L.S.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3tCutGy

International

Kosovo’s new parliament starts, vote on new govt expected (AP)

Kosovo’s newly-elected parliament held its first session Monday and is expected to nominate the country’s new prime minister.

The new parliament comes after the Feb. 14 election in which Albin Kurti’s left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, won the most votes, but the party still needs the votes of non-Serb minority parties to create a new Cabinet. Vetevendosje! won 58 out of the parliament’s 120 seats.

After their swearing-in, the new lawmakers voted to elect the new speaker, Glauk Konjufca of Vetevendosje!, and his deputies.

See more at: https://bit.ly/312A7FI

Coronavirus: EU ‘not ready’ to share COVID vaccines with poorer countries (DW)

Despite earlier promises, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has said the bloc cannot donate COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries while it struggles with its own supply. The UK slammed the move as “counterproductive.”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday that the bloc will  not share coronavirus vaccines with other countries until it has “a better production situation in the EU.”

See more at: https://bit.ly/3lCcai1

Humanitarian/Development

Vetevendosje’s women MPs dress in white, in nod to gender equality (Kallxo)

Women MPs from the Vetevendosje’s joint ticket with Vjosa Osmani dressed in white in today’s constitutive session of the Assembly as a way to increase awareness about gender equality. 

MP Arberie Nagavci said the decision is aimed at expressing the commitment towards improving the position of women in Kosovo.

Kosovo Slow to Build Monuments to its Female Heroes (Balkan Insight)

There are few statues of historically significant Albanian women in Kosovo, where most of the monuments to important figures and guerrilla leaders from the 1990s war for independence commemorate men.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Catholic saint Mother Teresa, the Olympic gold medal-winning judoka Majlinda Kelmendi and the early 20th Century Albanian rebel leader Shote Galica are among the few women whose have been honoured with statues marking their historical importance in Kosovo.

Kosovo’s capital Pristina is also home to the Heroinat (Heroines) monument, which commemorates wartime victims of sexual violence.

But although there are several other statues and memorials around the country dedicated to female Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA guerrillas who fought and died in the 1998-99 war, there are no such tributes to other Kosovo Albanian women who have made significant contributions to society in the spheres of science, art or politics.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3c6fizs