Hamiti: Kosovo must escape Kurti’s populist trap

Member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Presidency Muhamet Hamiti stated that Kosovo must free itself from what he described as Albin Kurti’s populist trap, arguing that the Self-Determination leader is not a democrat but a “populist demagogue striving to establish a totalitarian system.” Hamiti said that through his actions, Kurti has isolated Kosovo and jeopardized relations with international partners, calling on citizens not to vote for his policies in the second round of local elections.

“Albin Kurti is not a democrat. He is a populist demagogue who seeks to establish a totalitarian system in Kosovo. His and Self-Determination’s slogan, together with their sister parties Alternativa and Guxho in 2021, was ‘All Power.’ It was a clear demand for absolute rule. He attempted the same this year when he asked for 500,000 votes — which, fortunately, he did not receive,” Hamiti wrote on Facebook.

According to him, like other demagogues, Kurti has offered simple solutions to complex problems but has failed to resolve even the simplest ones.

“For five years now, although he has controlled both the legislative and executive branches, he has failed to subjugate the judiciary and the media — which he constantly attacks. Kurti and his Self-Determination government have not succeeded in establishing a totalitarian system because Kosovo, though young, is a country with a democratic tradition. In the last national elections, the opposition won more votes than Kurti and Self-Determination with their partners,” Hamiti emphasized.

He further argued that Kurti never wanted to share power, and now, he said, no one wants to cooperate with him.

“Because he is not a democrat, Kurti neither wanted nor was able to share power with others — partly because he refused to, and partly because others did not want him. Today, no one wishes to work with him. This is the result of Kurti himself — the leader of Self-Determination and now a member of the Kosovo Assembly — who continues, contrary to the law, to act as prime minister,” Hamiti added.

Hamiti stated that citizens of Kosovo have a chance in the second round of local elections on Sunday to “reject Albin Kurti through their vote.”

“They should not support either his policies or the people he promotes, because they are just like him. The result of these policies is a Kosovo under EU sanctions, and in a sense, also under U.S. sanctions. The United States suspended the Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo in September, citing Kurti’s irresponsible behavior,” the LDK MP explained.

He also wrote that Kurti has deprived Kosovo of a year by blocking the constitutional functioning of the assembly and government.

“In the upcoming parliamentary elections — whenever they take place — the citizens of Kosovo must reject the man who despises his own state and mocks its citizens. Just as they brought him to power through their votes, they can remove him the same way. By doing so, they will learn an important lesson from a major mistake. Kosovo must finally free itself from Albin Kurti’s populist trap,” Hamiti concluded.