Headlines - 08.09.2017

• Veseli elected Assembly speaker, government to be voted Saturday (dailies)
• President Thaci congratulates Veseli, calls MPs for cooperation (Epoka)
• Thaci gives Haradinaj mandate to form new government (Kosova Sot)
• “We do not join those who ruined a government with Albanian majority” (RTK)
• EU hails constitution of the Assembly of Kosovo (Epoka)
• AAK ministers: Lekaj and Berisha (Kosova Sot)
• Hungary denies cases of Kosovo people illegally entering the country (Zeri) 

Kosovo Media Highlights

Veseli elected Assembly speaker, government to be voted Saturday (dailies)

Papers report that after a three-month blockade, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Kadri Veseli, got elected to the post of Assembly speaker with 62 votes in favour and 54 against. Koha Ditore says Veseli managed to secure a “fragile” majority while Zeri reports that in his previous term, Veseli received 74 votes and that yesterday he “barely” managed to secure 62. According to the paper, this is an indicator that PDK’s political strength has diminished under Veseli’s leadership. Upon election, Veseli called on political parties to unite and cooperate on addressing Kosovo’s vital problems. At the same time, the papers also report that the new government of Kosovo is expected to be voted on Saturday after, according to Koha Ditore, the Serbian List representatives asked for more time to consult with authorities in Belgrade. In a press conference shortly after Assembly’s constitutive session, Veseli and the candidate for prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, said they were convinced the government will receive the necessary votes. Haradinaj said he would present his cabinet today and also called on the people of Kosovo not to lose hope. “We always knew how to not lose hope. I think this is also a signal to those thinking that fleeing in buses is a solution that their solution is here,” Haradinaj said.

President Thaci congratulates Veseli, calls MPs for cooperation (Epoka)

The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, congratulated Kadri Veseli for his election as President of the Assembly of Kosovo. “Election of the president and the vice-presidents of the Parliament is good news and a necessary step for Kosovo. Our country has many challenges ahead, which with a political culture and democratic debate, should find a solution precisely at the Assembly. I congratulate President Kadri Veseli and deputy presidents for their nomination and call on the new chairmanship as well as all MPs to cooperate on the matters which are strategic for the future of Kosovo and our children,” Thaci wrote on his Facebook account.

Thaci gives Haradinaj mandate to form new government (Kosova Sot)

Following the election of Kosovo Assembly speaker, the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, gave Ramush Haradinaj the mandate to form the new government of Kosovo. Thaci said on Facebook that after receiving the proposal from the election winning coalition he exercised his constitutional powers and nominated Haradinaj to form the new government.

“We do not join those who ruined a government with Albanian majority” (RTK)

The outgoing Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, took to Facebook to write that no vote of the Democratic League of Kosovo and of Alternativa went to the PANA coalition. “We proved our pledge that we would not join those who destroyed the governing of Albanian majority, to transform Kosovo into a dependent of the votes dictated by Serbia. “PDK’s coalition did not gain the very much expected vote of the MP Rugova. Her vote goes to Ibrahim Rugova’s party,” Mustafa wrote. “If they govern with the logic based on which they constructed coalitions, I fear that majority of them will have their offices in Kosovo’s prison cells then at the Assembly and Government,” Mustafa wrote.

EU hails constitution of the Assembly of Kosovo (Epoka)

The European Union welcomed the election of the Kosovo Assembly President. Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson to the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, said that the election of the President represents the first step towards creation of the institutions after the 11 June elections. “The European Union requests from the new parliamentarian majority to create the new government as soon as possible, in order to move forward with the required reforms necessary and urgent for Kosovo’s agenda for EU membership,” Kocijancic stated.

AAK ministers: Lekaj and Berisha (Kosova Sot)

The paper reports that the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) unanimously approved the names of its two ministers in the new government of Kosovo expected to be voted over the weekend. Pal Lekaj has been nominated to lead the Ministry of Infrastructure while Rrustem Berisha that of the Kosovo Security Force.

Hungary denies cases of Kosovo people illegally entering the country (Zeri)

Officials from the Hungarian Embassy in Pristina denied having information of people from Kosovo illegally crossing into their territory. Similarly, the Kosovo Police said they have not recorded a significant increase of people leaving Kosovo although there was more movement of people in August which they attribute to people from diaspora coming and going. In a meeting yesterday, Kosovo’s Deputy Interior Minister, Valdet Hoxha, and Hungarian Ambassador, Laszlo Markusz, discussed the recent situation and called on the people of Kosovo not to be deceived by human traffickers and that the only way to enter Hungary is through a valid visa.