Agreement before constitutive session (Koha)
The paper reports on the front page that the opposition bloc and the Vetevendosje Movement are expected to announce today their co-governing agreement before the start of the constitutive session of the Assembly. Leaders of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) and the Vetevendosje Movement met on Wednesday evening and sources from the meeting told Koha that an agreement had been reached. “Only a few details are left and Vetevendosje will look into them. Tomorrow morning [Thursday] at 8:30-9:00, the leaders will have another meeting and they will give a joint press conference or issue a communiqué before the constitutive session of the Assembly,” the source said. Vetevendosje MP Glauk Konjufca could not confirm the agreement on Wednesday but said he hopes it will be signed on Thursday. “In the last 24 hours, our positions have moved even closer and now we see greater readiness by the LDK, AAK and NISMA to remove differences with the Vetevendosje Movement,” Konjufca said. KTV reported on Wednesday evening that political talks with Belgrade will be led by Ramush Haradinaj as Prime Minister, and technical talks by the Principal Deputy Prime Minister who will be from the Vetevendosje Movement. “Coalition parties will establish a joint coordinating group for talks with Serbia,” a source told KTV.
Assembly session could be cut short (Tribuna)
The paper reports on the front page that today’s constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly could be cut short if at least ten MPs agree on sending the issue over who has the largest parliamentary group to the Constitutional Court for interpretation. According to the session’s agenda, agreed upon by the outgoing Assembly presidency, the largest parliamentary group is the one consisting of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), but this has been objected to by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and several PDK officials have already warned they will send the case to the Constitutional Court.
Thaci calls on political parties to show maturity (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo’s outgoing Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, called on all political parties on Wednesday to demonstrate wisdom and maturity during Thursday’s constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo, and to perform their constitutional duties. “This is a special moment for all of us. These were the best ever organized elections after the war, with a clear and clean winner, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and its coalition. I expect a regular session, with special symbolism, and a further development of democracy,” said Thaci.
Mustafa: I have the votes (Zeri)
Citing reliable sources, the paper reports that the opposition coalition will have the support of minority communities in the Assembly on Thursday. The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Isa Mustafa, also expressed optimism on the matter. “I cannot speak of how minorities will act right now. I am convinced that they will act in the best possible way. Also, I am certain that we will secure 61 votes tomorrow,” said Mustafa. “Serbs showed greater readiness to join the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo than ever before,” Mustafa said after meeting with Serb MPs in an attempt to gain their support during the voting for the Assembly Speaker. He said that discussions on including the Serbian List in the government would be held after the formation of the Assembly.
PDK yet to decide on candidate for Assembly Speaker (Zeri)
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is reported to have proposed Arsim Bajrami as a candidate for the post of Assembly Speaker but Bajrami turned down the offer. After ensuing lengthy discussions, PDK’s presidency decided to address the issue once more today before the start of the Assembly’s constitutive session.
President Jahjaga indifferent to developments in the Assembly (Zeri)
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, has seemingly decided to stay away from clashes between major political forces in Kosovo regarding the seating arrangement in the Kosovo Assembly. “Not wanting to prejudge any situation and especially not wanting to prejudge something that has not happened yet, President Jahjaga, based on her constitutional competencies, will act in accordance with the Constitution and legislation of Kosovo in order to guarantee democratic functioning of institutions and political unity”, said Jahjaga’s advisor, Arber Vllahiu.
Rakic: Park is a result of Albanians’ provocations (Tribuna, Kosova Sot)
Mitrovica North Mayor Goran Rakic is quoted as saying that the decision to construct a park on the main River Iber/Ibar bridge was made after provocations from Albanians south of the bridge following the removal of the concrete barricade. “In order to lower the tensions, I decided to make such a decision and immediately called the Mayor of South Mitrovica and urged him to begin construction of the park south of the river”, said Rakic in an interview for Radio Free Europe.
