Former Deputy Prime Minister Haki Abaz has spoken out on the issue of the presidential election, stressing that the acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti keeps President Vjosa Osmani close for political interests, warning that such an action could end in a political clash between them. He also assessed that the delay in the process could lead the country towards an institutional and constitutional crisis.
Recently, Kosovo's acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti told the media that once other processes are completed, the issue of the president will be resolved. Regarding this, Abazi said that he does not trust Kurti, describing it as populism.
"Now it's not Kurti himself who has said 'don't trust me', that he said when I was in opposition I said something else, when I became prime minister I am saying something else, when I go on the campaign trail I speak something else. That is, if you are asking me if I believe Kurti if he will become president, I cannot trust him with anything. The man of demarcation, privatization, sovereign fund, development bank, the man of insistence on finding people who disappeared during the war by force from Serbia—all of these are failed causes and promises. And there is only one thing that Kurti does: populism every time he speaks in the media," he told Ekonomia Online.
Abazi believes that Kurti is using Osman for his own interests.
"Now we must understand correctly that I do not believe at all in Kurti's intention or good intentions to create institutions. I think that he keeps Vjosa Osmani close or has returned close after a clash to have him as close as possible to stab him in the back. That is, stab in the back Vjosa will sooner or later receive from Kurti the form of action against political opponents. Also, for five years, one thing he has proven is that he is not interested in government. Today we are in an energy collapse, we are in complete darkness despite all the warnings we have made and he has never given an answer. Before he said: 'we will build boilers and then filters', now there are neither boilers nor filters. Kurti is neither a boiler nor a filter", he said.
He describes the reactions of the Vetëvendosje Movement to the Constitutional Court's rulings as populism.
"That is, we have reached the point where we must wait impatiently to see if something good is happening in the consolidation of institutions. Yesterday, the reaction of the Vetëvendosje Movement to the decision of the Constitutional Court was another indication that they will not respect it and will stubbornly continue their attempt to consolidate the Assembly of the Republic by engaging in populism, by rising up against the Serbian List and the deputy leader of the Serbian List in the Assembly," he continued.
Kurti's other goal, according to Abazi, is to buy time so that it ultimately results in a constitutional crisis.
"This means to me that Kurti is buying time to bring Kosovo into a constitutional crisis, because two judges of the Constitutional Court are about to expire. In a financial crisis, because without the Assembly we have no budget, and in a presidential constitutional crisis because it will be very difficult how we will get out of this situation when President Osmani's mandate expires, and that at 12:00 on March 4, we must have a new president or we must go to elections," he stressed.
However, Abazi mentions two scenarios that, according to him, could be on Kurti's mind.
"There are unknowns, as these last five years of Kurti's government have been. This is why people are, so to speak, in a complete standstill, because there is no transparency at all, nor is there any political debate. And I do not believe that Kurti can elect a president, whoever he or she is, without a political agreement with the opposition parties for 81 deputies as required. And the attempt to do such a thing without a political agreement has two scenarios: one going to the elections or two breaking up one of the opposition political parties, which would be the end of political pluralism because the rule of imposition is accepted without political agreement and without political dialogue, and this is the death of democracy," he emphasized.
Did he invite AAK for an agreement? Abazi says that such a thing has not yet happened from Kurti, while adding that AAK's support for the presidential vote will only be done through dialogue. "No, so far as I am aware, there has been no discussion in this regard. This cannot be said to be a block. It is not without political dialogue, without a political agreement, of course it is not," he says.
Regarding the candidacy of AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj for president, Abazi said that he does not see such a possibility, as according to him, the parties have their own interests.
"It is clear, 30 signatures are needed to become a candidate. AAK itself does not have 30 signatures and I am not able to tell you today whether there will be an initiative from the opposition parties, conditionally speaking, political, to put forward a joint candidate. Based on the past, from last year, I do not see such an opportunity when the entire opposition will come together for a candidate from one of the political parties because each has its own interests. But I see only one thing here, that Kurti's will is to go to the elections, to continue the trend of degrading pluralism and democracy. I do not see here the political will of wisdom, political maturity to sit together at the table to have a dialogue and to reach a political agreement", he added.
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