Constitutional Court of Kosovo will soon remain without three judges whose mandate will expire by the end of August. If the decision is not brought with regard to the Assembly Speaker, there is a threat that political crisis in Kosovo might go deeper, carried Pristina daily Zeri.
Mandate of the three international judges of the Constitutional Court will expire on 31 August. Unless the Constitutional Court doesn’t bring a decision with regards to the Assembly Speaker, political and institutional crisis could go deeper, even the work of Constitutional Court might be blocked due to the lack of quorum.
Experts for the constitutional issues said that judges, if they would continue the engagement at the Constitutional Court, would face the lack of legitimacy since they can neither be re-elected nor can their mandate be extended. Experts explained that mandate of the international judges is precisely provided by the Constitution and that extension of their engagement can be provided only through constitutional amendments, what is not feasible at the moment since the work of the Assembly of Kosovo has ceased.
The President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga earlier requested for their mandate to be extended until 2016 with the reasoning that the work of Constitutional Court is jeopardized by political representatives.
Following Jahjaga’s request, the signal for possible extension was also given by the EU Office in Kosovo.
