Canaj: I am skeptical about Kurti's real intentions; Sadiku: The presidency should be left to the opposition

Observers of Kosovo's political scene believe that the issue of electing a president could be the key obstacle to the formation of new institutions, warning that the absence of a compromise between the government and the opposition could lead to a new political and institutional crisis.

Commenting on acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti's statement that opposition parties should change their approach regarding the election of the president, political analyst Blerim Canaj said that the content of the message points to the possibility of a repeat of the previous situation, when Kosovo was forced into early elections because of a political crisis.

"The content of what Kurti said indicates that we could once again face a situation similar to the last one because, among other things, he said that he would discuss the issue of the president with other parties. However, it should be borne in mind that 80 votes are needed to elect a president and that discussions are always held in order to reach a compromise, and compromise means that both sides present their demands, after which a decision is made. That is why I am quite skeptical about the Prime Minister's real intentions – whether he truly wants to resolve the issue of the president and allow political processes to continue, or whether he wants us to end up in the same crisis we experienced in the recent past. Judging by the language he used, I am very skeptical," Canaj told Kosovo Press.

Political analyst Arbnor Sadiku believes that Kurti is trying to pressure the opposition into backing down on the issue of the presidency.

"It appears that he has not changed, even though the election result is not the same as it was in December and differs by five to six percentage points. Nevertheless, there is a visible tendency to intimidate the opposition so that it yields on the issue of the president. I believe that the opposition has its own political goals and that the position of president is one of its key demands, and that it should not give up on it," Sadiku said.

In his view, the leader of Self-Determination should, for the sake of political balance and the formation of institutions, leave the presidency to the opposition.

"As far as Kurti is concerned, I think he should form the institutions and leave the presidency to the opposition, because that would establish political balance and send a message of respect for the constitutional order. The idea is for democracy to function and for there to be a certain balance between the government and the opposition when it comes to the three main branches of power in Kosovo. Therefore, I believe the only way for Kurti and Self-Determination to show that the state is more important to them than power is to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible with one of the political parties, offer it the presidency and perhaps some additional responsibilities, in order to complete the process of forming institutions," Sadiku stated.