New Kosovo Parliament to Convene for First Time

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga said on Monday that the recently-elected legislature should convene for the first time on July 17 so she can “submit to parliament the proposal for the new prime minister nominate to parliament”.

Her decision comes a week after the constitutional court advised her that the party that the most seats at the elections should propose a candidate for prime minister to form the government – striking a blow to a group of opposition parties who wanted to form the next administration.

Outgoing PM Hashim Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, won the largest share of the votes – roughly 30 per cent - and is expected to have 37 seats in Parliament.

But the opposition parties wanted to block Thaci and elect Ramush Haradinaj as premier.

The parties, the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK and Nisma, with the tentative backing of the Vetevendosje Movement, had more than the 61 seats needed to elect Haradinaj, but the constitutional court ruled that only coalitions registered before the elections could propose a candidate.

The PDK is also insisting it has the right to appoint the speaker of parliament because it has the highest number of MPs.

But the opposition bloc has been looking into options to form a united parliamentary group, hoping it will be given the chance to appoint the speaker.

The new government will need the backing of at least 61 MPs.

While the PDK will have 37 seats, the LDK will have 30, the Vetevendosje Movement 16 and the AAK 11.

Nisma per Kosoven (Initiative for Kosovo), established by PDK defectors Fatmir Limaj and Jakup Krasniqi, will have six MPs.

A remaining 20 seats will be allotted to minority...