PRISTINA – According to various media sources, extraordinary elections in Kosovo will take place on 8 September, following the resignation of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj last Friday.
The news have been confirmed from a source within the cabinet of President Hashim Thaçi, who is currently looking into his authority to call the early elections after a government collapses, Gazeta Express reports.
According to Kosovo’s Constitution, the Assembly can be dissolved by the President if a government suffers a successful no confidence vote or the Assembly does not elect a new government 60 days after its inaugural session. The Assembly can also vote to dissolve itself with a 2/3 majority vote.
Most of the major parties seem to be supporting the elections rather than forming a new government. On Saturday, the leader of the ruling Kosovo’s Democratic Party, Kadri Veseli, said that elections are unavoidable.
“Elections are now unavoidable. PDK is ready for elections, whenever they’re held. The only thing left to discuss now is the time when they’re held”, Veseli said according to Independent Balkan News Agency.
Opposition parties, Vetëvendosje! and Kosovo Democratic League (LDK) have rejected any possibility of being involved in a caretaker government, calling for consultations regarding the new election date to start at once.
Haradinaj himself stated that his preferred option is to “return the mandate to the people”.
“I am currently finishing my letters to for the President and the President of the Assembly. After that, the Assembly can dissolve itself or the President can dissolve it and call for early elections”, stated Haradinaj for Radio Free Europe.
Coalition around Haradinaj’s AAK and Veseli’s PDK, together with coalition around LDK and Vetëvendosje! have enough MPs to vote for a successful dissolution of the Assembly.