Political analyst Halil Matoshi argues in an opinion piece that Hashim Thaci, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), cannot pretend to be a unifying figure if he gets elected President of Kosovo in an Assembly building surrounded by police and without the presence of opposition MPs”. According to Matoshi, Thaci’s election under such circumstances would bring about further division in Kosovo’s society; it would outrage the opposition, would not help the country emerge from the current crisis and would result in further clashes. Matoshi further suggests that a political agreement on early parliamentary elections should include an agreement between all political parties to change the Constitution of Kosovo and allow for the election of the President by the people. He also advises Thaci to withdraw his candidacy and help change the way the President is elected, “because this could improve his chances of winning popular support in autumn”. “Ultimately, only a President elected directly by the people, would give him/her uncontested authority and credibility to make independent and difficult decisions for reforms in society, to pave the way for education and social emancipation, democratization and the Westernization of Kosovo’s society,” Matoshi writes.