UNMIK Headlines 8 July
President decides, Assembly to convene on 17 July (dailies)
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, has decided that the constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo will be held on 17 July. The decision came after concluding that the election process had been finalized.
Battle for 17 July (Tribuna)
The proposal for the agenda of the constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo is expected to be made by 12 July at the latest, the paper reports on the front page. This timeframe has been imposed by President Atifete Jahjaga’s decision to hold the first Assembly session on 17 July. It is now up to the outgoing Speaker, Jakup Krasniqi, to meet leaders of all political parties represented in the Assembly and agree on the session’s agenda. Considering the rifts between parties, the paper anticipates a battle over who will have the largest parliamentary group and the post of new Assembly Speaker.
Mustafa: PDK offered us post of Prime Minister (Bota Sot)
Isa Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), told the Tirana-based TV station Top Channel that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) tried to discuss the post of Prime Minister but that no official meeting was ever held on the matter. Mustafa repeated that he would not enter into a coalition with the PDK even if he were offered the chance to lead the new government. “Any kind of meeting at this point would not make sense, because we have already formed a coalition. We want to stop this kind of governance, we want changes, and we want to offer an alternative,” Mustafa said.
PDK offers post of Prime Minister to Vetevendosje (Tribuna)
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has reportedly expressed readiness to enter into a coalition with Vetevendosje and has offered to its biggest political rival the post of Prime Minister and six ministries. This was confirmed by Vetevendosje’s Dardan Molliqaj who said that the proposal came in a letter because Vetevendosje has not agreed to meet any PDK officials. “The PDK has said it is ready to suspend dialogue with Belgrade, dissolve the PAK (Privatisation Agency of Kosovo) and halt privatization”, added Molliqaj.
Krasniqi: Prime Minister’s post nonnegotiable (Kosova Sot)
An official from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, denied reports that his party has been negotiating on the post of Prime Minister with potential coalition partners. “All losing parties should understand once and for all that the post of Prime Minister is nonnegotiable because it belongs to the winning party as determined by the citizens through their free will”, said Krasniqi.
Jan Kickert brings three conditions for creation of government (dailies)
President Atifete Jahjaga met on Monday with Jan Kickert, Political Director for European and International Affairs at the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. They discussed current political developments in Kosovo, democratic processes, and Kosovo’s links to the EU following the conclusion of negotiations for the Stabilization and Association Agreement. Kickert noted Kosovo’s progress on the European agenda and its membership in regional initiatives. He said the path of the entire western Balkans towards the EU is open and stressed the importance of continued dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade for the normalization of relations. Citing Gazeta Blic, several dailies report that Kickert highlighted three points for the formation of the new government: continued dialogue with Belgrade, the establishment of a broad-based coalition government, and continuation of privatization processes.
Forming of government could last until autumn (Koha)
The paper reports on the front page that Kosovo could enter autumn without a new government as procedures for the election of the Assembly Speaker and then the establishment of the government could take up to four months. Dren Doli, from the Group for Political and Legal Studies, told the paper that according to the Constitution, the Assembly has 60 days, from the moment the first candidate is announced, to hold two procedures for the establishment of the government. “In developed democracies, the establishment of the government is the simplest phase … The time wasted will make it harder for the next government to address Kosovo’s biggest challenges,” Doli added.
Tahiri confident Iber/Ibar Bridge barricade will be removed soon (Koha)
Kosovo’s outgoing Deputy Prime Minister, Edita Tahiri, said on Monday she was confident that the barricade on the Iber/Ibar Bridge will be removed soon. Asked to comment on the announcement by Marko Djuric, head of the Kosovo Office in the Serbian Government, on the construction of a promenade along the bridge, Tahiri said she raised the issue of barricades during her latest visit to Brussels and received guarantees that the barricade would be removed very soon. Tahiri also said that the government could take the matter into its own hands. “If you cannot do this as mediators and guarantors, then we will assume responsibility and remove it,” Tahiri reportedly told officials in Brussels.