UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, February 5, 2026

Kurti optimistic about election of president, implies new names in new govt (Ekonomia Online)
Vetevendosje: The Constitutional Court has exceeded its role (media)
Court: Election of Rasic as assembly deputy speaker was unconstitutional (Kosovo Online)
Osmani is against increased energy tariffs, and will address the ERO (Nacionale)
Advisor: Osmani consulting with lawyers in Germany over false claims by Martens (media)
Ulutas: Situation in Kosovo remains calm but at the same time fragile (media)
Haradinaj: We are ready for NATO membership, the time is now (media)
Kosovo Serb politician questioned over offensive Facebook post about Kurti (Kossev)
Disinformation and AI-generated videos surged during Kosovo’s early elections (PI)
From classrooms To TikTok, China's soft power push expands in the Balkans (RFE)

Kurti optimistic about election of president, implies new names in new govt (Ekonomia Online)

Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday that his new government will have almost the same members that he and Glauk Konjufca had proposed before the early parliamentary elections. “Many of the names that I and Glauk Konjufca presented last autumn will be included, but they won’t be identical. There will be other names too. We are preparing to first constitute the Assembly and then form the government as soon as possible, because as you know we have three international agreements with the World Bank and at the same time the Growth Plan with the European Union, which is €882.6 million and which must be adopted at the Assembly of the Republic as soon as possible. We must also not forget that we have great responsibility and obligation, and that is the budget for 2026 … In February we need to conclude the issue of the budget,” he said.

Asked on the issue of the Kosovo President, Kurti said that the first three steps need to be made first.

Vetevendosje: The Constitutional Court has exceeded its role (media)

The Vetevendosje Movement (VV) said on Wednesday that the ruling of the Constitutional Court on the appeal submitted by the Serbian List about the election of the assembly deputy speaker, demonstrates a serious lack of consistency on the part of the court and that the court has changed its position within four months on the same constitutional matter.

VV argued that the court is creating a right of veto for a specific political entity, the Serbian List. “A constitutional court that changes its position on identical constitutional matters, without any normative, factual or systemic change, undermines not only the principle of legal predictability, but also citizens’ trust in the coherence of the constitutional order. Such a change cannot be justified as a development of jurisprudence, as it lacks its essential element: the evolution of normative or social circumstances. Under these conditions, the change of position takes on the character of a formal use of judicial competence to produce a new normative outcome, which constitutes a classic form of abus de droit,” the reaction notes.

According VV, the Constitutional Court has exceeded its constitutional role. “The Constitutional Court has no supervisory role over the legislature, nor any role as a political arbiter. It has only one role: the final authority in the interpretation of constitutional matters. This authority does not give it a mandate to create new norms, to invent criteria of representation or to impose conditions that the Constitution does not recognise. The current Constitutional Court is engaging in hermeneutics of its own texts. When the Constitutional Court becomes self-referential, it steps beyond constitutional boundaries,” the reaction adds.

Court: Election of Rasic as assembly deputy speaker was unconstitutional (Kosovo Online)

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo ruled today that the election of Nenad Rasic as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly in October 2025 was not in accordance with the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.

“With five votes in favor and two against, Decision No. 09-V071 of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo of 10 October 2025 on the election of a Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from among members of the Serb community is not in conformity with paragraph 4 of Article 67 (Election of the President and Deputy Speakers of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo), in conjunction with subparagraph 1 of paragraph 6 and paragraph 7 of Article 12 (Election of Deputy Speakers of the Assembly) of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo,” the ruling states.

According to the judgment, the right to nominate a candidate belongs to the majority of MPs from the Serb community, and this requirement was not respected.

“In the context of the procedure for electing a Deputy Speaker from among members of the Assembly who do not belong to the majority community, the Judgment emphasizes that the right of nomination, as defined by the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and in both the letter and spirit of the Constitution—also affirmed in the Court’s case law—belongs to the majority or the largest number of Assembly members from among the non-majority communities, elected in accordance with subparagraphs 1 and 2 of paragraph 2 of Article 64 (Structure of the Assembly) of the Constitution, who enjoy the greatest democratic legitimacy within their respective communities,” the statement adds.

The Court found that the deadlock-breaking mechanisms, including the drawing of lots, were misapplied; however, due to the principle of legal certainty, the decision does not have retroactive effect.

“Applying the above principles to the circumstances of the present case, the Court, as explained in the Judgment, concluded that the majority of MPs from the Serb community exercised their right to nominate a Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, that is, a member of the Assembly Presidency, by proposing nine (9) candidates. Accordingly, the election of MP Mr. Nenad Rasic to the position of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly did not result from a proposal by the majority of MPs from the Serb community, nor was there a refusal by that majority to exercise this right. Consequently, the Court determined that, in the circumstances of the present case, the deadlock-breaking mechanisms were not used in accordance with the spirit and purpose for which they were intended,” the ruling states.

Rasic was elected Deputy Speaker of the ninth convocation of the Assembly of Kosovo from the Serb community on 10 October, while Serb List filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court on 16 October.

Osmani is against increased energy tariffs, and will address the ERO (Nacionale)

The news website reports that only one year after the Energy Regulatory Office adopted a 16 percent increase in energy tariffs, KESCO has submitted a request for a 21 percent increase. The Office of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said that this year too it will oppose the eventual increase in tariffs and that it will submit its comments on the topic. “In case there will be changes or increased tariffs, our position will be the same as it always was when the issue of increased tariffs was discussed. The moment when the call for comments is made, we will submit our comments as in previous years and led by the public interest,” a media advisor to Osmani said.

Advisor: Osmani consulting with lawyers in Germany over false claims by Martens (media)

Advisor to Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Rinor Nuhiu, said in a post on X on Wednesday that “defamation and slander, the unfounded allegations and demonstrably false claims by Michael Martens (aka Andric1961) are subject to civil and criminal liability under German law. President Osmani categorically rejects his defamatory claims and his dangerous dissemination of disinformation. The President is consulting with lawyers in Germany for the purposes of using all legal remedies to protect the integrity of the institution and the country she leads”.

Several news websites report that the reaction from Osmani’s office comes after Martens, a reporter with FAZ, claimed that Osmani was trying to secure another term in office by presenting herself as “Trump’s candidate”.

Ulutas: Situation in Kosovo remains calm but at the same time fragile (media)

Commander of NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Major General Ozkan Ulutas, said in an interview with Kosovo Online that the security situation in Kosovo remains calm but at the same time fragile, with the possibility of new tensions emerging. “Overall, the security situation in Kosovo remains calm, but at the same time fragile, with the potential for new tensions to emerge. The reasons for this are numerous, including unresolved issues, sometimes irresponsible rhetoric and the continued use of disinformation. Above all, there are challenges related to the progress of normalization process between Belgrade and Pristina, in the framework of dialogue facilitated by the European Union, which NATO fully supports. This is a framework in which outstanding issues can be resolved and solutions found that respect the rights of all communities, which is essential for sustainable security in Kosovo and regional stability,” Ulutas said.

Haradinaj: We are ready for NATO membership, the time is now (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj said in his address at the Parliamentary Security Forum at Capitol Hill that Kosovo is ready for NATO membership and that the time is now. “Thank you for your support for Kosovo and for its path toward NATO. I can only bring you good news. Kosovo has implemented the ten-year plan for the development of its Army, in close cooperation with the United States of America. Our army, same as our other security institutions, is based on NATO and US standards. We are ready to contribute to the field of security. We are ready for NATO membership. The time is now,” Haradinaj said.

Kosovo Serb politician questioned over offensive Facebook post about Kurti (Kossev)

Marko Jaksic, leader of the civic initiative “North for All”, was questioned by Kosovo Police on Tuesday following a Facebook comment deemed offensive and directed at Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

The summons was confirmed to KoSSev by Erduan Balliqi, police spokesperson for the northern region, who said the questioning concerned an insult aimed at “a person,” without explicitly naming Kurti. Jaksic complied with the request and appeared for what police classified as an informational interview, registered as a misdemeanour under “disturbing public order and peace.”

Police acted approximately twelve hours after the comment was posted. The message, written as a response to a Facebook post by Kurti marking the anniversary of ethnic violence in North Mitrovica, contained vulgar language.

Speaking to KoSSev after the interview, Jaksic said it was initially unclear in what capacity he was being summoned.