Could Early Elections Solve the Gridlock in Kosovo ?

Statements earlier this week of Kosovo Speaker of Parliament Kadri Veseli that the political gridlock in the country could be solved through early elections, are causing uproar in Kosovo’s political scene, with Prime Minister Mustafa vowing that this Government will stand to the end of its mandate.

In response to Veseli’s earlier comments that the political gridlock could be solved through early elections, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said that Veseli’s statement has been misinterpreted and that this government will carry on its mandate to the end.

“We have never talked of early elections and our PDK/LDK governing coalition is functioning very well. We will go together to the end of this mandate and elections will be held as planned in 2018”, said Mustafa last night during an interview at RTK.

Veseli who also chairs the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) attempted to clarify his earlier comments by saying that the “coalition is stable and can very well stay in power until 2018. What is important though, is to ease the current situation as soon as possible, not to stay in power until 2018”.

“It wouldn’t be the end of the world if there were early elections, through a political agreement” – Veseli said.

Meanwhile Pal Lekaj, the Head of the AAK opposition parliamentary group supported the idea of early elections. “It is good that early elections are being anticipated by Speaker Veseli because this shows that they (in power) are also convinced things are not going well at all for Kosovo’s citizens”, said Lekaj.

Analysts suggest that this may be a political game of the ruling PDK to stir waters before the establishment of the Special Court in the Hague which will try cases involving crimes committed during and in the immediate aftermath of the Kosovo War.

Daily ‘Gazeta Express’ reports that several analysts and LDK MPs are hinting that Speaker Kadri Veseli who also chairs the PDK, is planning to provoke early elections aiming to become Prime Minister, in order to anticipate the start of work of the Special Court in the Hague, which is expected to go after former Kosovo Liberation Army’s (KLA) executives and operatives who make a large part of the PDK.

Kosovo has been going through a highly charged political climate in recent months due to a draft law presented by the government which would settle 8000 hectares of border dispute in the border between Kosovo and Montenegro. The law requires two-thirds in parliament to enter into force and is violently protested by the main opposition group Vetëvendosje – Self Determination Movement.