Analyst Ben Andoni, invited to News24, has commented on the latest political developments in Kosovo, following President Vjosa Osmani's decision to dissolve Parliament on the eve of the deadline for electing a new president.
According to Andoni, the situation arose as a result of the lack of an agreement between the majority and the opposition on the names of presidential candidates.
"There seemed to be a difference between the positions of Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the opposition. A few weeks ago, Kurti indirectly indicated that he had divergences with Mrs. Osmani regarding positions. He said that he was looking for a president and not one who would support the current president. This was the first message that Mrs. Osmani would have problems," Andoni said.
According to him, the opposition had expected the majority to bring in non-partisan candidates, according to an unwritten agreement between the parties, but this did not happen.
"The opposition thought that the majority would bring two candidacies according to the non-verbal agreement they had, who would not have political affiliations, but this did not happen. Vetëvendosje brought forward two characters, among them Glauk Konjufca, a figure that the opposition considers problematic for the Assembly in terms of his approach," he said.
Faced with this situation, the opposition decided to boycott the process, which, according to Andoni, led President Osmani to decide to dissolve Parliament and call early elections.
"This made Mrs. Osmani go to the possible extreme by announcing early elections," the analyst emphasized.
He added that today, the ambassadors of the QUINT countries have tried in Pristina to mediate in finding a political solution, but without success.
"QUINT ambassadors have tried to hold consultations today, but they have not succeeded, while Kurti is trying to crush the Kosovo opposition," Andoni said.
According to him, there is also an institutional element that makes the situation more complex.
"During such vacancy periods, the current Speaker of the Assembly temporarily assumes the role of president. This is also related to other institutional developments, such as the process for electing the Chief Prosecutor of Kosovo," he concluded.
