Analyst Halil Matoshi writes that at the present state-building stage and relaxing of relations with Serbia, Kosovo political leaders should say ‘yes’ to extending the mandate for reserved seats at the Kosovo Assembly for community parties as this would not undermine the state of Kosovo.
He suggests that the extension should be approved under the condition that the Serbian Government as soon as possible agrees to raise the normalization of relations with Kosovo at an internationally-binding legal mechanism. This would include Serbia’s non-interference in Kosovo’s international affirmation, and particularly its UN membership.
Apart from speeding up the process of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, extending the mandate of reserved seats, in Matoshi’s view, would also go to show that Constitution of Kosovo is not untouchable and that it can be changed to adapt to new developments. The move would also pave way for election reform to be concluded ahead of general elections while Kosovo’s image would be strengthened both in the eyes of Kosovo Serbs as well as the international community.
