The European Union expressed regret that political parties in Kosovo did not identify a unifying figure for the country's presidential candidate, forcing the country to hold its third election in less than a year and a half.

An EU spokesperson told Radio Free Europe that the European bloc has repeatedly called on all political actors to ensure institutional stability.

"It is urgent for Kosovo to strengthen inter-party dialogue to ensure the efficient functioning of institutions and not to miss opportunities that bring benefits to citizens, including those from the Growth Plan," the spokesperson said.

Kosovo's Assembly members failed to elect a new president of the country within the constitutional deadline and, based on the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court, the Assembly was dissolved on April 28.

Now, the acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, after a meeting of political parties - to be held today - will have to announce the date of the elections, which must be held within 45 days.

There are only two dates when elections can be held: May 31 and June 7.
On the night of April 27, the ruling Vetëvendosje Movement withdrew the two party candidacies, namely the names of Glauk Konjufca and Fatmire Mulhaxha Kollçaku, and less than an hour later presented two female presidential candidates, both human rights activists: Feride Rushiti and Hatixhe Hoxha.

But, the opposition parties did not participate in the plenary session that began on the evening of April 27 and ended at midnight on April 28 - when the deadline for electing the president was also.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti, also the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), has said that he has made efforts to reach an agreement with opposition parties, but without result.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has sought to nominate its own candidate for president, while it has been criticized by the LVV for a lack of transparency.

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), on the other hand, has opposed the idea of ​​one party – in this case LVV – controlling the three main institutions of the state: the Government, the Assembly, and the Presidency.

Kurti has said that he offered the LDK a seat in the government or the position of speaker of parliament, but the offer was rejected. A similar offer was made to the PDK, but its leader, Bedri Hamza, described it as frivolous, saying that there had been no official invitation for a meeting.

Kurti then asked PDK and LDK to propose three non-partisan names for president, offering the support of LVV, but the opposition rejected this idea as well, describing it as frivolous and unacceptable.

The April 28 deadline came after on March 5, the LVV began the session to vote on Konjufca and Kollçak, but interrupted it due to lack of a quorum.

A day later, former President Vjosa Osmani issued a decree calling for new elections. However, the decision was appealed to the Constitutional Court by the Kosovo government. The country's highest court said that MPs had 34 days to choose Osmani's successor.

Osmani completed his five-year term on April 4, and Parliament Speaker Albulena Haxhiu, according to the Constitution, took over the position of acting president.

According to the Constitution, the president of Kosovo is elected with two-thirds of the votes in the first two rounds or with 61 votes in the third round, but 80 deputies are needed in the hall for the session to be held. /REL