A court in Pristina has announced it will soon issue warrant for the arrest of Vetevendosje leader Visar Ymeri as he, along with his fellow MP Rexhep Selimi, failed to show up for the hearing in the case dating back to 2012. Ymeri and Selimi are accused of assaulting the MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Bekim Haxhiu in June of 2012 during a Kosovo Assembly session break.

Former Vetevendosje leader and Kosovo Assembly member, Albin Kurti, participating in today’s opposition protest, told reporters that “this spring will mark the rebirth of democracy in Kosovo”. “We want independence with sovereignty and economic development. We want corruption to be uprooted starting with the government … Today’s protest will be peaceful,” Kurti was quoted as saying.

Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), one of the parties of the opposition bloc, said today he guarantees that the popular protest called by the opposition for Wednesday will be peaceful. Haradinaj also argued that the latest arrest of Vetevendosje activists coincide with Wednesday’s protest. “The people will fulfil their duty tomorrow whereas Thaci and the rest will lose their legitimacy because they will no longer have the support of the people.

The Vetevendosje Movement issued a media communique today reacting against the arrest of its activists, including its parliamentary group chief Glauk Konjufca and spokesman Frasher Krasniqi by Kosovo Police, in relation to the destruction of EULEX vehicles in Pristina in 2009. The Vetevendosje Movement argues that “seeing that the 17 February protest will be massive and powerful, the government of cowards Isa Mustafa and Hashim Thaci is continuing the campaign of persecution and arresting Vetevendosje activists”.

Deputy President of the Assembly of Kosovo from Vetevendosje movement, Aida Derguti, participated today at the meeting of the Assembly Presidency, which decided to hold the regular session of the Assembly on Friday. Referring to the Agreement on Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, Derguti said that the government is insisting to bring back into life a dead agreement.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said in a press release that last night’s arrests of Vetevendosje spokesperson Frasher Krasniqi and the head of Vetevendosje parliamentary group Glauk Konjufca ahead of the opposition’s protest tomorrow demonstrate the strong link between the government and law enforcement authorities. The AAK said the timing of Krasniqi’s and Konufca’s arrest is no coincidence, particularly as it relates to allegations several years’ old.

Head of the parliamentary group of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Ismet Beqiri, said on his way out from the meeting of the Assembly Presidency, that opposition parties were against holding of a solemn session to mark the eighth anniversary of the independence of Kosovo.

Vetevendosje Movement has reacted against a decision reportedly taken by Kosovo Minister of Local Government and Administration Ljubomir Maric to rename the southern part of the Mitrovica municipality to Mitrovica South. Vetevendosje said the decision “is yet another step towards factual partition of Mitrovica and of Kosovo.” Vetevendosje MP Aida Derguti said the Movement anticipated these problems ever since the Ahtisaari status package was negotiated back in 2006.

Today, Adriatik Kelmendi praised the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, for participating in the meeting called by the President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga, in an attempt to find a solution to the political crisis. “To reach a situation that is beneficial for all, often one must act courageously, despite the danger this may incur for one's personal position. There is no doubt that this is applicable to Ramush Haradinaj,” Kelmendi writes.

According to the writer of this opinion piece, Halil Matoshi, the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, cannot succeed in overcoming the political crisis in Kosovo considering that she has served the Democratic Party of Kosovo and Hashim Thaci for almost two mandates. He views her leadership as pitiful.