A member of Kosovo’s parliament, Duda Balje, has said she was informally offered a university teaching position in neighboring North Macedonia in exchange for her vote in support of a political candidate.
Balje claims that people from outside of politics contacted her about the offer, suggesting she could get a job as a professor in Skopje if she voted for Albulena Haxhiu, the ruling party’s nominee for speaker of the Kosovo Assembly.
“Yes, it’s true,” Balje told reporters. “I got a few calls from people who are not directly involved in politics. I had previously applied for a professor role in Macedonia and met all the requirements, but didn’t follow through. Now I was told there’s a chance to discuss the position again.”
When asked directly if the job was offered in exchange for her vote, Balje said: “Yes, although not in a direct way. It came from a friend of mine – a doctor from Kosovo. We’ve met a few times by chance. But I said no. I didn’t know the people involved, and it felt wrong. There were two or three such calls.”
Donika Gërvalla, a member of the ruling Self-Determination (Vetëvendosje) party, rejected the allegations and called on Balje and other MPs not to block the functioning of parliament.
“We are not in a marketplace where votes are traded,” Gërvalla said. “Constituting the parliament is a matter of principle. I haven’t heard of any such deals.”
Kosovo’s parliament is expected to meet again on Thursday, in what will be the 20th attempt to form a functioning legislature since the elections held on February 9.
The Assembly has not yet been able to elect a speaker, a necessary step before a government can be formed. The ruling party, Self-Determination, continues to nominate Albulena Haxhiu for the role, but has not secured enough votes from other parties.
Opposition parties, including PDK, LDK, and AAK, have said they will not support Haxhiu’s nomination. Meanwhile, Self-Determination insists it will not replace her with another candidate.
Despite regular sessions being held every two days, parliament has not been able to reach a quorum or a political agreement, leaving Kosovo in a prolonged institutional deadlock.
President Vjosa Osmani recently met with party leaders in an attempt to break the stalemate, but the talks ended without any concrete results.