Kosovo Opposition Fails to Create United Front

Opposition leaders from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Nisma and the Vetevendosje Movement failed on Monday to reach a deal aimed at stopping outgoing Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, from forming the next government.

The parties met in a bid to thrash out an agreement that would give them a chance of governing instead of Thaci’s party, but they did not manage to resolve their political differences.

Albin Kurti, head of the Vetevendosje Movement said, there were “discrepancies between verbal agreements achieved in earlier meetings and the readiness to put those on paper and sign them”.

The Vetevendosje Movement had promised support to the opposition bloc only if certain conditions are met.

Vetevendosje insists that the current Brussels-backed dialogue on normalizing relations with Serbia should stop, while dialogue with local Kosovo Serbs should be developed.

It also wants a parliamentary commission to look into the dialogue held with Serbia over the past three years.

Without giving specific details of the differences, AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj called on the parties to “overcome this situation”.

The opposition has to resolve its disagreements by Thursday, when the new parliament is due to be constituted and President Atifete Jahjaga is to name a candidate for prime minister.

About two weeks ago, the Constitutional Court advised Jahjaga that the party “that won the highest number of seats as a result of the elections to be given the possibility to propose a candidate for prime minister to form the government”.

Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo won the largest share of the votes – roughly 30 per...