OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Behind the scenes/ Why doesn't Albin Kurti want Vjosa Osmani as President again?

2026-02-24 23:46:01Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Behind the scenes/ Why doesn't Albin Kurti want Vjosa Osmani as President
Albin Kurti and Vjosa Osmani

There are still six working days left before the constitutional deadline for electing a new president of Kosovo, but instead of names and concrete agreements, uncertainty dominates.

Behind the scenes, the process does not appear to be just a formal constitutional obligation, but part of a broader political calculation by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

"Kurti aims for a president who will be under his control at important political moments," Imer Mushkolaj, an expert on developments in Kosovo, tells Radio Free Europe.

He believes that the diplomatic activity of the current president, Vjosa Osmani, hinders Kurti's calculations, so he is looking for a new name.

On Monday, February 23, Kurti declared that he is making every effort to avoid early elections, which would result from the president not being elected.

President Osmani's mandate expires on April 4, while the deadline for electing a new president is March 4 - otherwise, new parliamentary elections must be held within 45 days.

Osmani has made it clear that she is aiming for a new mandate, but Kurti - whose party, the Vetevendosje Movement, has a majority in the Assembly - did not mention her name.

He did not categorically rule it out, but noted that it would be pointless for the party to nominate a candidate, as it alone could secure a maximum of 66 votes - far short of the 80 votes needed to elect the president.

On this issue, Kurti met with the leaders of the two largest opposition parties - on Sunday, Bedri Hamza of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, and on Monday, Lumir Abdixhiku of the Democratic League of Kosovo.

Hamza expressed his readiness for parliamentary coordination on, as he said, issues of state and national interest, while Abdixhiku demanded either political agreement or consensus.

Kurti admitted that the situation for electing the president is not easy.

"I don't see any zeal for new elections, and that's something we have in common. These elements make me optimistic," he told reporters.

However, he did not mention any specific candidate, even when asked about a possibility by the family of the hero Adem Jashari.

Names from this family have been mentioned as potential presidential candidates in the past, but none of them have resulted in an official proposal.

"I think Kurti may have a name that he will propose, with the hope that the opposition will also support him. I don't know if this name will come from the Jashari family," says Mushkolaj, adding that the entire process is taking place with a worrying lack of transparency.

According to Mushkolaj, Kurti's public messages imply that the possibility of Osmani winning a new mandate may be given up. However, he warns that if Vetëvendosje and the opposition do not find a common name, she may return as a candidate to avoid new elections.

"To avoid early elections, it is not ruled out that Ms. Osmani will be in the game again," Mushkolaj estimates.

"But, deep down, I believe Kurti is interested in someone who doesn't mess up his math," he adds.

In the 2021 parliamentary elections, Osmani ran on a list with Kurti and was among the most voted candidates in Kosovo.

She was elected president in April of that year and marked several achievements in foreign policy - from securing new international recognition for Kosovo to her membership in the Gaza Peace Board - an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump.

With Kurti, on some occasions, there have been indirect clashes, such as over alliances with Western allies or the tariff on imports from the US.

Political analyst Ilir Deda believes that the next president should be someone who "deeply understands and knows international issues and Kosovo's position in the global arena."

"We need to know which candidate profile would make the three major parties in Kosovo - LVV, PDK and LDK - feel comfortable. Will President Osmani's mandate continue, or will a new figure be elected? We don't know this yet," adds Deda.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe, he estimates that the election of a consensual president would bring institutional stability, but, so far, political parties, he says, are viewing the process mainly from the prism of party interests, not the country's.

Currently, according to him, it is not in the interest of Kosovo, nor of the parties, to hold new elections, due to the failure of the presidential election.

Kosovo held two elections last year, after the results of the February 2025 elections did not enable Kurti - even though his party won - to form a new government.

Osmani did not make any public statements after Kurti's meetings with opposition leaders, but on her social networks she made several summaries of the 5-year mandate so far - from visits abroad to meetings with the diaspora.

"Someone cannot be appointed to the position of president - especially in the current situation - who has no knowledge in the field of international relations. This would harm both Kosovo and the institution of the president," Deda concludes./ REL


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×