The Kosovo Assembly on Thursday suspended the session to elect a new president due to a lack of quorum.
Only 66 deputies were present at the session, far fewer than the number needed to reach a quorum.
After the session for the election of the new president was adjourned, the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, announced that they had contacted the Constitutional Court of Kosovo to assess the constitutionality of the procedure for the election of the president of Kosovo.
According to her, through this request, it was also requested that the Constitutional Court impose a temporary measure to suspend the constitutional deadline related to the presidential election procedure, until the publication of the judgment.
"Also, through this request, we have requested that the Constitutional Court impose a temporary measure to suspend the constitutional deadline related to the procedure for electing the President, until the publication of the judgment," Haxhiu wrote.
The Speaker of the Parliament also announced that the country's president, Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, has been informed about this action.
But what does the letter to the Constitutional Court say?
"We assess that the actions of the deputies of the opposition groups are obstructing the procedure for electing the President of the Republic of Kosovo, with the aim of creating circumstances for the dissolution of the Assembly and holding extraordinary elections for the Assembly of Kosovo.
We base this finding on the fact that 54 MPs did not participate, with the aim of preventing the quorum of 80 MPs required in the first two rounds of the presidential election. We assess that these actions of the MPs of the opposition parliamentary groups are in clear contradiction with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and other legal obligations that they have as elected representatives of the people,
Deputies have above all a primary constitutional obligation to participate in the exercise of institutional functions, and this obligation is not merely formal, but is directly related to guaranteeing the functioning of the constitutional order...", the letter states.
It is further requested that the Judgment:
To declare the request admissible.
To impose a temporary measure suspending the deadline for the election of the President until the Judgment is issued.
To ascertain the constitutional violation of the deputies who did not participate in the session for the election of the President of the Republic of Kosovo.
To establish the obligation of deputies to participate in the vote for the election of the President of Kosovo, whether for, against or abstaining, and not to impede the creation of the necessary quorum in the first and second rounds of voting, as well as the relevant measures/sanctions in the event that such a thing occurs.
To determine the return to the deadline for the election of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, respectively from the day of the commencement of the procedure for the election of the President
To notify the parties and publish the decision in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Kosovo.
To order that the Judgment enter into force immediately.
