Vetevendosje rejects LDK’s final offer to form government

Gazeta Express

16/01/2020 17:12

Kosovo’s largest political party, Vetevendosje, has rejected a final offer of partnership with the second ranked Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), deepening political crisis in Kosovo. But the LDK chairman said the Vetevendosje letter is not “official” and expressed readiness to conclude a deal on new government.

 The two parties held talks for three months after a general election in October 2019 produced a hung parliament, in which no party won enough seats to govern alone. The Vetevendosje leader and candidate for prime minister, Albin Kurti, sent an official letter Thursday to the LDK confirming their final offer to get the post of the Parliament Speaker – which Vetevendosje already took and was voted also by LDK MPs – is unacceptable. The LDK sent a letter to Vetevendosje on Wednesday and proposed getting temporarily the Speaker’s post until their nominee is elected president after mandate of current president expires in 2021. The LDK asked the Vetevendosje MPs vote their nominee for president proposing return the post of Speaker to Vetevendosje once the president is elected. Their letter was a reply to an early letter of Vetevendosje sent on Tuesday proposing increase of number of ministries in new government only to accommodate the requests of the LDK who rejected such an arrangement. The letter further complicates negotiations between the two parties and potential partners in new government and plunges Kosovo into a political crisis. The two parties are negotiating for more than three months now and held several meetings which ended without any deal.

The LDK chairman Isa Mustafa convened its party after Kurti’s letter and is expected to come out with an answer. Entering the meeting Mustaf said Kurti’s letter is “unofficial” adding the LDK is interested to conclude the negotiations process. /GazetaExpress/