CEC ready to organise elections
(TV21)
Despite possible challenges, the Central Elections Commission (CEC) is ready to organise parliamentary elections. The CEC chairperson Valdete Daka said that whenever political leaders decide about the elections date, CEC will organise elections timely.
Daka stated that a challenge would be if early elections happen under a new law on elections; therefore, she hopes that the process will happen under the old Law.
Political entities have different views about the date of elections. LDK says that elections will be held on 8th June, AAK and Vetëvendosje (VV) are in favour of a motion to bring down the Government, while PDK may request dissolution of the Assembly on Monday’s session.
Cliff: There must be reserved seats in next legislature
(TV21)
The British Ambassador to Kosovo Ian Cliff stated that in the next composition of the Kosovo Assembly there must be reserved seats for minorities. He said that because of integration of north, reserved seats should be extended for another mandate. According to Ambassador Cliff, it does not make sense to say ‘welcome’ to north, while having fewer seats for Serb community MPs.
Expressing his disagreement with Ambassador Cliff’s statement, the Kosovo Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said that Kosovo Serbs may not be divided into local and north Serbs.
“Furthermore, Serbs have their guaranteed seats, and such a positive discrimination does not exist in any Assembly in the world, or in Europe,” Krasniqi said.
In Krasniqi’s view, Ambassador Cliff’s statement implies that the Kosovo Assembly will not be functional, and consequently, the state of Kosovo will not be functional either. Moreover, Krasniqi added that amending of the Kosovo Constitution is not happening because of the Kosovo Armed Forces, but for the sake of reserved seats for minorities.
In this context, the AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj said he did not see any risk that Srpska civic initiative may turn to be the second or third party in elections, in case minority communities will be granted reserved seats in the Kosovo Assembly.
Gracanica/Graçanicë Serbs attack ‘Free Migrants’
(RTK2, TV21)
The group of five (Albanian) members known as ‘Free Migrants’ who left on foot from Gjilan/Gnjilane to Brussels to demand visa liberalisation for Kosovo, was assaulted on Wednesday evening by local Serbs in Gracanica/Graçanicë. As a consequence, two of the group members were injured and received medical treatment.
The ‘Free Migrants’ say that the incident will not affect their initiative, and they continued their journey towards Brussels, planning to walk 40 kilometres a day.
Following the brutal attack, Kosovo Police arrested two Serbs.
Deadline to review north municipality statutes on 16 May
(RTK1)
On 16th May is the deadline to review statutes of north municipalities of Zvecan/Zveçan, Zubin Potok, and north Mitrovica/Mitrovicë, to check if they are compatible with laws of the Republic of Kosovo.
This was stated by Besnik Osmani, Secretary General in the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA).
Freedom House: Kosovo a partly-free country
(Most monitored broadcasters, Klan Kosova)
On Thursday, the Freedom House organization published its annual report on freedom of the press in the world. Kosovo has marked progress compared with previous year. This year it is ranked 98, differently from 2013 when it was ranked 102.
The report considers Kosovo a partly-free country.
