Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti says that there is not only a theoretical, but also a practical possibility that Kosovo will go to elections again, if they fail to elect a new president.
Four months before the term of the current president, Vjosa Osmani, expires, Kurti is more cautious about supporting Osmani for another five-year term. According to him, a test and indication of how to move forward on the issue of the president is the approval of international agreements, which also require the support of opposition MPs.
Kurti, in an interview with KosovaPress, says that first the Assembly must be constituted, the government formed, the budget approved, and then the issue of electing the president must be considered.
"If we fail to elect the president, or re-elect the president, and the deadline for this is March 4, if we do not have the budget for 2026 passed in advance, we cannot even hold new elections. Of course, there is the possibility, not only theoretical, but also practical, that we will go to the elections again, if we fail to re-elect the president. But in such a situation, we must be ready, precisely by having the budget voted. That is why I am saying, it is not healthy to talk about the fourth step without properly addressing and passing these first three," he says.
Kurti, who is also the leader of the LVV, a party which, according to preliminary CEC results, has over 50 percent of the votes in the December 28 elections, considers it necessary to meet with Osmani to discuss her interest in another term at the head of the country.
According to him, securing 80 deputies in the hall at the moment of the election of the president is a considerable difficulty.
"Now, we have seen the president's statement. First, we need to form the Assembly and the government. We also need to vote on the budget. I believe that these are the most important steps. So, there are three steps before we come to the re-election of the president. And I believe that from these three steps we will see what the prospects are ahead. I have stated that it is important that we also sit down with the president and discuss all the things. This meeting is needed because 80 people in the hall is a considerable difficulty. You are taking into account that last time we could not make 61. 80 is a much larger number than 61. And while this time we have 61, we do not have 80. And these international agreements, which we are trying to pass as soon as possible, I believe that they can also give us indications for the way forward. But I do not believe that it is right, nor useful, to talk about the fourth step without seeing these three the first ones," he declares.
Speaking about the possibilities for opposition parties, and especially LDK, to remain in the plenary hall when the president is voted on, Kurti said that he does not know what positions the opposition parties will take in the coming weeks and months.
"I honestly don't know. This year 2025, with a blocking and barricading approach by opposition parties, has surprised me too. If someone had told me a year ago that 2025 would be the way it turned out, it might have seemed very unlikely or impossible. But here it is. That's why I don't know what positions the opposition parties will take in the coming weeks and months. Is it clear that neither international agreements nor the re-election of the president, the election of the president, we cannot pass without having opposition MPs. Meanwhile, the people removed the blockades regarding the constitution of the Assembly and the formation of the government on December 28," he emphasizes.
