The presidency of the Kosovo Assembly in a meeting today set up parliamentary committees. Vetevendosje will chair the committee on legislation, the committee for labour and social welfare, education committee and the committee for supervision of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency.

Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) leader, Fatmir Limaj, said today that the Assembly of Kosovo and the new government will be formed this week. Limaj made the comments as he was heading for a meeting of PAN and AKR leaders with officials from the Serbian List taking place in Swiss Diamond Hotel in Pristina.

Avdullah Hoti, head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group and LAA coalition’s candidate for prime minister, said their candidate for the post of Kosovo Assembly deputy speaker is Kujtim Shala, former minister of culture. “LDK leadership, based on its competencies decided to propose MP Kujtim Shala for the post of deputy speaker,” Hoti said. He added that Shala is a twice-elected MP and has vast experience in the political life in Kosovo.

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said PAN coalition insists on the Kosovo Assembly constitutive session chairman calling a consultative meeting of parliamentary parties in order to reach agreement on when to hold the next session of the Assembly.

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Pal Lekaj, said after today’s consultative meeting of parliamentary groups that it is clear who is blocking the creation of new institutions of Kosovo. He said that PAN representatives would not take part in the Assembly’s constitutive session called for tomorrow as it was announced without prior consultations.

Vetevendosje’s Glauk Konjufca said in a press conference following the consultative meeting of heads of parliamentary groups which he did not attend that PAN coalition was only trying to buy time by asking for additional meetings and not attending Assembly’s constitutive session. “They are trying to buy time to close the deals they have started because they do not have the votes”, Konjufca said.  “Time of political meetings is gone.

Head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group, Avdullah Hoti, opposed PAN’s proposal to vote for Assembly speaker and prime minister under one package. Hoti said such a proposal “didn’t make sense” and that it is yet another attempt by PAN to buy time.  Hoxhaj said that PAN could withdraw candidacy of Kadri Veseli for the post of Assembly speaker if the new candidate is voted alongside Ramush Haradinaj as prime minister of Kosovo.

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, hailed the decision of the Kosovo Assembly session’s chairman Adem Mikullovci to call a meeting of parliamentary groups on Wednesday. Hoxhaj said he is glad the chairman has realized that in a parliamentary democracy there should be coordination with political parties.

LAA coalition’s candidate for prime minister, Avdullah Hoti, said after the closing of today’s constitutive session of the Assembly that it is clear PAN coalition has not secured enough votes to form new institutions. “We should have had a new Assembly and Government three weeks ago”, Hoti said adding that Kosovo cannot afford to lose any more time.

Following the decision of the chairman of the Kosovo Assembly’s constitutive session to end it, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, spoke to the media about PAN’s request to go on a break before announcing candidate for Assembly speaker. Hoxhaj said: “Our request, as the entity that won these elections, was to have a two-hour break for consultations with our partners in proposing the candidate for Assembly speaker. The chairman closed the session and we now have a new situation.