In an interview for Klan Kosova, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Yee said he was in Kosovo to show support for the new president Hashim Thaci and Kosovo. He said the inauguration ceremony for President Hashim Thaci is a good opportunity to meet Kosovo leadership. Speaking about normalization of Pristina-Belgrade relations, Hoyt said dialogue is one of the most important developments in the region and that it is the only way forward for both Kosovo and Serbia.

The three opposition parties – Vetevendosje Movement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) – are planning to use vuvuzelas, among other things, to impede the inauguration ceremony for Kosovo President Hashim Thaci which will be held tomorrow at Skenderbeu square in Pristina.

Vetevendosje activists today threw stones at the Kosovo Assembly building as new President Hashim Thaci’s was being sworn in. Kosovo Police arrested two individuals related to this incident. Vetevendosje Movement through a press release claimed responsibility for the incident. “Two Vetevendosje activists, Egzon Balaj and Atdhe Arifi were arrested today during the Assembly’s solemn session. Vetevendosje does not recognize Hashim Thaci as Kosovo President and for this matter our activists tried to impede the session,” reads the press release.

Protesters hurled stones at the Kosovo parliament as new President Hashim Thaci was being sworn in on Thursday and opposition parties boycotted the ceremony, underlining the political crisis besetting the country.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/kosovo-s-new-president-th/2674784.html

Upon being sworn in as the new President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci said he would serve the interests of the citizens of Kosovo and be a unifying factor. He also pledged to uphold the Constitution of Kosovo.“Being president of a country is great honour and responsibility and I pledge to work in close communication with you,” Thaci told Kosovo MPs. “The goal and the vision of Kosovo citizens in integration in EU and NATO and permanent friendship with the US,” he said further adding that Kosovo will remain an active part of anti-terrorism bloc.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) announced its MPs will not take part in today’s swearing in ceremony for Hashim Thaci as the new president of Kosovo. Furthermore, in a symbolic action, the party’s activists last night put up posters in Pristina against Thaci becoming president of Kosovo. The posters carry slogans claiming Thaci is not a unifying figure and a far cry from what a true head of state should be.

The paper runs an opinion piece by Andrea Lorenzo Capussela:

The constitutional court of 2016 has said that the constitutional court of 2011 was wrong. These are not the words one can read in the judgement that yesterday upheld Thaci’s election, but this is what they mean. For the court rejected the challenge against his election because it judged that the arguments of the opposition were plainly wrong, ‘manifestly unfounded’. But these were exactly the same arguments upon which in 2011 the court annulled Pacolli’s election.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), through a press release today reacted against the decision of the Constitutional Court to declare as inadmissible the opposition’s request to contest the election of Hashim Thaci as Kosovo President. “We consider that Hashim Thaci does not meet the main criteria for the country’s president, who is to be a factor of unity. We also consider that Thaci’s election was not in accordance with the Kosovo Constitution and we believe that today’s decision of the Constitutional Court was not fair,” notes the press release.

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, today while commenting on the decision of the Constitutional Court to declare as inadmissible opposition’s request to contest the election of Kosovo President, said he knew that the Constitutional Court would give this answer, because, according to him, there was no violation in the presidential election process.

The Constitutional Court today has declared as inadmissible the opposition's request to contest the election of Hashim Thaci as Kosovo President.