Politics of Kosovo

ZVECAN - Reacting to yet another extension of custody for leader of the Citizens’ Initiative “Freedom, Democracy, Justice” (GI SDP) Oliver Ivanovic, his lawyer Nebojisa Vlajic said Wednesday that the head of EULEX was interfering in the work of judicial authorities in Kosovo, as he had been announcing that extension for a few days before the decision had been made.

Lawyer: EULEX head interferes with judiciary

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA -- Oliver Ivanović's his lawyer Nebojša Vlajić has said that the head of the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, was interfering in the work of judicial authorities.

Serbia, Albania and Kosovo advance security co-operation

Court gives Thaci's party right to propose assembly speaker

PRIŠTINA -- There will be no snap parliamentary elections in Kosovo, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo has decided, Tanjug is reporting.

PRISTINA – There will be no snap parliamentary elections in Kosovo, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo has decided and gave the opportunity to the biggest parliamentary group, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK) of the outgoing Prime Minister Hasim Taci, to put forward a candidate for chairman of the Kosovo Assembly.

Kosovo may have to hold fresh elections – three months after the last ones - after Constitutional Court on Friday suspended the election of an opposition speaker.

The court said Isa Mustafa’s 17 July nomination was “unconstitutional because it was not the largest parliamentary group that nominated the speaker,” the court said.

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met in Belgrade Thursday with Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oscar Benedict, who stressed the importance of aligning Serbia’s foreign policy to the principles of EU’s external policies.

The court hearing should pave the way for a ruling designed to end a political stalemate in Kosovo over the election of a speaker - and the formation of a new government.

The Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, is contesting the election of an opposition politician, Isa Mustafa, as speaker.

Priština rejects talks without EU mediation

BELGRADE -- Priština and Belgrade "cannot hold the dialogue on normalization of relations without EU's mediation," said Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Edita Tahiri.

"In my opinion, the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia based on the model without mediators cannot yield results," she said, and added:

Kosovo’s Constitutional Court is due to hold a hearing session on Thursday when the two major political blocs will present additional arguments on which one has the right to nominate a candidate for the post of speaker of the Assembly.