Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Thursday he had offered two compromises to break the political deadlock over forming institutions in the country’s new legislature, but received no reciprocal moves from opposition parties.
Kurti said the first proposal was that in a secret ballot for parliamentary speaker, if his party’s candidate Albulena Haxhiu failed in the first round, another nominee would be put forward. The second was to agree on a package deal covering the speaker, deputy speakers and other positions before switching to an open vote.
“We have taken steps, but there have been no steps from the other side,” Kurti told reporters at the inauguration of a hemodialysis service in the town of Podujeva. “Let us not forget that when the Constitutional Court in a previous ruling said that political agreements must be reached between parliamentary groups because disputes are not resolved by the court, the opposition parties immediately filed another case.”
Kurti said the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) had taken the matter to the Constitutional Court despite calls for a political solution.
“Kosovo is stable, it is making progress, but it has no parliament,” he added, citing what he described as economic growth in the country.
Kosovo held a general election earlier this year but political parties have failed to agree on forming a new parliament and government. The deadlock has left Kurti’s administration in a caretaker role, limiting its ability to pass laws or approve major policies. Disputes over the selection of the parliamentary speaker have been at the centre of the impasse, with opposition parties challenging procedures at the Constitutional Court.