Civil society organizations call on parties to reach agreement on President of Kosovo

Forty-five civil society organizations in Kosovo have called on parliamentary parties to reach an agreement on the election of the President by October 6. They urged the parliamentary majority to be open to candidates capable of securing broader cross-party support, while calling on opposition parties to put forward concrete proposals.

In a joint statement, the organizations called on political parties to work toward ensuring fully functioning institutions and avoiding another electoral cycle.

“We believe that Kosovo should have functional institutions with full mandates that fulfill their obligations toward citizens. The mandate given by citizens entails a responsibility to respect the constitutional order and ensure the democratic functioning of institutions. We therefore call on the parliamentary parties to engage immediately in reaching an agreement that will enable the election of the President by October 6, within the deadline set by the Constitutional Court,” the statement said, Gazeta Express reports.

The organizations assessed that another failure to elect the President would lead to the dissolution of the Assembly and new elections.

“Following repeated institutional crises and successive electoral cycles, this would once again place the country in a situation of institutional deadlock, with no guarantee that elections would resolve the disagreements that have kept this issue unresolved,” the statement added.

The statement also noted that Kosovo’s institutions had been operating for two years under limited mandates or in a caretaker capacity.

“A new institutional deadlock would deepen this crisis and prolong political uncertainty, further weakening democracy and democratic oversight, opportunities for economic development, international relations and citizens’ trust in state institutions,” the organizations said.

They called on the parliamentary majority to remain open to candidates capable of securing broader cross-party support, while urging opposition parties to submit concrete proposals and engage in efforts to reach a viable solution.

“We call on all sides to demonstrate a willingness to reconsider their initial positions and reach agreement on candidates, parliamentary support and the necessary participation to ensure that the process is completed within the prescribed deadline,” the statement said.

The civil society organizations assessed that electing the President through an agreement reached in accordance with the Constitution would enable the institutions to continue their work and allow Kosovo to emerge from the current deadlock.

“Such an agreement does not require overcoming the political differences between the majority and the opposition, but only the institutional cooperation necessary to complete the process and ensure the functioning of the state,” the statement said.

They added that the President represented the unity of the people and served as a guarantor of the democratic functioning of institutions, and that any agreement should therefore be guided by that constitutional role.

The signatories said they were prepared to contribute to these efforts by facilitating possible discussions.

“In the remaining days, we expect the willingness to engage in dialogue to be accompanied by clear and concrete steps toward reaching an agreement and completing the process of electing the President within the deadline set by the Constitutional Court,” the statement concluded.

Among the 45 organizations that signed the joint statement are the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture, the Kosovo Democratic Institute, Democracy Plus, the GAP Institute, the Kosovo Law Institute, the Center for Equality and Liberty, the Civil Rights Program Kosovo, Democracy for Development, the Community Development Fund, the Forum for Civic Initiatives, the Group for Legal and Political Studies, and the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms.