Hoxha: I doubt Osmani would engage in toppling Kurti's government

Political analyst Leart Hoxha says for Kosovo Online that Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani would not gain any political benefit from toppling Albin Kurti's government through the MPs of the Guxo list. Speculations suggesting such a scenario is not excluded, Hoxha considers as a form of pressure on Osmani.

"The numbers indicate it as a possibility, but it's merely a mathematical chance. I doubt she would engage in such calculations. Additionally, this doesn't only depend on the MPs of the Guxo list; there are also MPs from the Serb List and other minorities, and finally, the entire opposition. If they all agree, it would be possible. I don't believe such an agreement will be reached, as everyone has explicitly stated they won't topple Kurti with the votes of the Serb List. I doubt any party can afford to change that stance, and if the Serb List is excluded from this equation, it's even harder to find votes elsewhere," Hoxha states.

He adds that Osmani has been trying to fulfill her role as president properly and distance herself as much as possible from party politics.

"I think she's smart enough and experienced enough as a political figure to know that she can't afford that. Even amidst the international community's pressure on the Prime Minister, Osmani, as the head of state, is playing a decent role and trying to keep everything under control and maintain Kosovo's image in the eyes of international partners from worsening," Hoxha says.

When asked if Osmani would be a different negotiator for Kosovo than Kurti in dialogue with Belgrade, our interlocutor says that much in the dialogue does not depend on who the negotiator is but on the broader political situation that goes beyond the will of one politician.

"In Kosovo, we've had four or five negotiators from Edita Tahiri onwards, and at the same time, on the Serbian side, even though Vucic has been in power, he has not led the dialogue all the time. What we see is a lack of political will to implement what was signed in 2013 and 2015 and what was agreed upon in 2023. Without political will, I doubt much more can be done because it doesn't depend on one person; there are negotiating teams involved. Also, much in the Western Balkans is conditioned by the situation in Ukraine, various events in Europe, how these countries position themselves towards Russia and NATO, so much doesn't depend solely on the chief negotiator," Hoxha believes.