Haradinaj reportedly musters support to form Kosovo’s new government

Haradinaj reportedly musters support to form Kosovo’s new government
By bne IntelliNews July 17, 2017

Ramush Haradinaj, the prime ministerial candidate of the coalition that won Kosovo's June 11 early general elections, is believed to have mustered the support of 62 lawmakers in the new 120-seat parliament, one vote above the minimum needed to form a new government, broadcaster RTK reported on July 14. 

On July 13, Haradinaj met President Hashim Thaci and informed him that he had exceeded the 50% + 1 requirement. Thaci is expected to give Haradinaj a mandate to form the new government soon. Adil Behramaj, media advisor to Thaci, told TV21 that the president is expected to call the constitutive session of the parliament in the week of July 17-21 and invitations to lawmakers will be sent on July 17 at the latest.

The PAN coalition, which consists of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Haradinaj’s Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the Initiative for Kosovo (Nisma), won the largest share of the vote – 33.74% giving it 39 lawmakers. The PDK, AAK and Nisma are all headed by former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders, which was likely an important factor in the parties’ last-minute decision to run together. This year, a new war crimes court – the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers – is expected to launch judicial activities to try former KLA fighters.

Vetevendosje, the biggest opposition party in the last parliament, won 27.49% of the votes, which translates to 32 MPs.

A coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), led by Kosovo’s wealthiest businessman Behgjet Pacolli, and the newborn Alternativa, was pushed into third place with 25.53% of the votes or 29 seats in the parliament.

Kosovo’s parliament has 120 lawmakers. 20 seats are guaranteed for representatives of minority communities, with at least 10 going to representatives of the Kosovo Serb community.

The result of the June 11 election was hence inconclusive, with none of the three biggest players winning enough votes to form a government alone.

Nonetheless, the information that Haradinaj has accumulated enough votes seems plausible. Mustafa gave a hint as to the composition of the new majority, saying in an interview with Radio Free Europe that "a government that would rely on the votes of the Serbian List and few other lawmakers is to be pitied", the UNMIK media observer service reported on July 15.

In a related note, on July 14 the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US have announced a joint position on the formation of Kosovo’s government.

“We will work with any legally-constituted government that honors Kosovo’s commitments, the European Reform Agenda, and Kosovo’s wider European perspective. We urge the parties that form the next government to prioritise building the rule of law and fighting corruption and organised crime in all parts of Kosovo, in order to attract investment desperately needed for job creation and sustainable economic growth,” the diplomatic missions said.

The embassies also urged the government and the parliament to “proceed as soon as possible with the ratification of the border agreement with Montenegro, and to engage seriously in dialogue with Serbia, in order to normalize the relations between the two countries”.‎

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