Gogic: Kurti would not support Citaku for President due to her sharp criticism

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic emphasized that it is unlikely that the Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Vlora Citaku, will become the next President of Kosovo, as the leader of Self-Determination and Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, would not support anyone who is not a member of his party.

Speaking to Kosovo Online, Gogic noted that no one can be elected president without Kurti’s support, which, he added, Citaku would certainly not receive due to her sharp criticism of him in recent years.

“Vlora Citaku is a competent lawyer and would likely avoid making certain mistakes that, for example, Osmani made as president in terms of misinterpretations of the Constitution, legislation, and her competences. However, it is highly unlikely that she could even be in that position at all, be proposed as president, let alone elected, for several reasons. First, no one can be elected President of Kosovo in this parliamentary composition without Kurti’s support, and it is unlikely that he would support anyone outside his party—especially not Vlora Citaku, given that she has been a particularly vocal critic of Kurti over the past few years. The PDK itself does not have enough MPs in parliament to support her candidacy, so it would need to seek backing from other parties, which it is currently not doing,” Gogic said.

As he further explained, the opposition is waiting for Kurti to propose his candidate, after which it will present its position. Regarding the PDK, the key strategic question, Gogic noted, is whether it is more beneficial for the party to secure the presidency or to call for new elections and gain a larger number of mandates.

“It appears that the opposition wants to shift the ball into Kurti’s court. In other words, they expect him to propose one, if not two, candidates for president, and then they will respond accordingly. The PDK will certainly wait for Kurti to propose at least one candidate before deciding whether to nominate someone of its own. It is highly unlikely that Self-Determination would support Citaku’s candidacy, let alone vote for her. For the PDK, the strategic dilemma is whether it is worth reaching an agreement with Kurti solely for the presidency—a largely symbolic position with limited relevance for operational politics—or whether it would be more advantageous to proceed with new elections, where it could potentially perform better,” he stressed.

Should Citaku nonetheless be nominated and elected as the new President of Kosovo, Gogic believes she would use the position to strengthen her political influence.

“By its constitutional position, the President of Kosovo is expected to be a non-partisan and supra-partisan figure, refraining from involvement in day-to-day politics. In other words, the president should remain above daily political affairs, allowing governance to be conducted by parliament and the government, and, when necessary, assisting—if not arbitrating—in overcoming constitutional and legal challenges, such as those seen last year. Therefore, by the nature of the mandate, Citaku or any other president should not engage in day-to-day politics or act as a political rival. Of course, this does not mean they are entirely constrained in practical politics. It is quite possible that Citaku, as a younger political figure, would use the position to build space for herself for future roles and to expand her political power. However, this also depends on internal party dynamics. There is also Bedri Hamza, as the leader of the PDK, who would likely not want someone to position themselves as the most powerful political figure in Kosovo from within his party without his knowledge,” Gogic concluded.