Kosovo Parliament Automatic Dissolution as New President Fails to Be Elected
The Kosovo parliament automatically dissolved on Tuesday night (April 28th) as it failed to elect a new president before midnight, according to the constitution. This means that the youngest country in Europe will face its third early election in just over a year, plunging the political landscape into turmoil once again.
Speaker and Acting President, Albulena Haxhiu, officially announced at midnight: “According to the decision of the Constitutional Court, the parliament is considered dissolved.”
Haxhiu is expected to announce the new election date soon.
The core of the current political turmoil lies in the constitutional threshold for the presidential election. According to regulations, at least two-thirds of the 120-seat parliament (80 seats) must be present for the voting to be valid. Despite the victory of the Self-Determination Party (Vetevendosje, abbreviated as VV) led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti in last December’s election, he still could not secure enough support, leading to the failure of the election process.
This legal and political tug-of-war has been ongoing for two years, also hindering Kosovo’s various reform efforts aimed at joining the European Union.
For most of last year, Kosovo lacked a well-functioning government, and the parliament even went for months without being able to elect a speaker, threatening the much-needed international assistance funds for the country.
With the upcoming third parliamentary election, breaking the political deadlock and restoring national stability will be Kosovo’s most severe challenge at present.
In Kosovo, the head of state is the President, elected by the parliament with a five-year term.