Kurti: A historic opportunity was missed not to certify the Serb List; We could have had Rasic with 3-4 MPs and two more parties

“There was a unique, historic opportunity not to certify the Serb List. That is why our representatives in the CEC—who were not supported by the opposition—voted against its certification. Imagine such a situation: the Serb List would not have been certified and would have been forced to register under a different name. Instead of having the Serb List with nine MPs and Nenad Rasic from his party, we would have had Rašić with three to four MPs and two more parties. One of them would have been the Serb List under another name, and perhaps someone else would have passed as well. Instead of a 9-to-1 ratio, we might have had multiple parties and, finally, pluralism within the Serb community. We wouldn’t be in this political deadlock today. In my opinion, a historic chance was missed,” Kurti stated.

He added that it is a mistake that a quorum was blocked both to prevent the certification of the Serb List and to elect Albulena Haxhiu.
“I truly have the impression that Albulena Haxhiu is being attacked and opposed more than Serbia. And we know that the Serb List is de facto led by Milan Radoicic, who operates between Raska, Novi Pazar, Belgrade, and Novi Sad, managing the members of the Serb List,” Kurti added.

He emphasized that once the Assembly of Kosovo is constituted, as the leader of the party that won the elections, he will have at least 61 votes to form a new government. He expressed confidence that the Assembly will soon be constituted and reiterated that Albulena Haxhiu remains the right candidate for President of the Assembly. He also stated that the outgoing President of the Assembly, Glauk Konjufca, will serve as a minister in the new government.

“Tomorrow’s vote is not about Albulena Haxhiu, our nominee, but about the secret ballot commission. If the opposition is confident she will not be elected again, they should allow a secret vote. Once the Assembly is constituted, as the leader of the winning party, I will have the minimum 61 votes needed to form a new government. But first, we need a functioning Assembly,” Kurti said.
Tomorrow marks the 19th continuation of the constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly.

Kurti noted that the Self-Determination Movement expected the Assembly to be constituted quickly.

He said that Haxhiu was nominated for Assembly President as the woman who received the highest number of votes in the elections.
“I believe she is the right candidate. She received 57 votes, and 61 were needed. She was supported not only by MPs from Self-Determination, Alternativa, and the Guxo List, but also by some minority MPs. We failed to reach 61 despite several attempts,” Kurti recalled.

He lamented that the proposal for a secret ballot was rejected multiple times.

“That’s unfortunate, because the Constitutional Court ruling says the vote must be held—whether openly or by secret ballot. We have options, but what’s happening now is unprecedented: a quorum is being obstructed. Now the objection isn’t to Haxhiu, but to a secret ballot, which violates the Constitutional Court’s ruling,” Kurti stated.

He also confirmed that Glauk Konjufca will be a minister in the new government.

“We have decided to nominate the Minister of Justice for the position of Assembly President, while Konjufca has agreed to become a member of the ‘Kurti 3’ government. He is moving to the executive, and Haxhiu returns to the legislative branch,” Kurti explained.
According to him, the “ideal” coalition would be with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

“Self-Determination plus LDK plus non-Serb minorities would make 77 MPs. Even with the three MPs from Nisma, that would be 80. Even for international agreements, we believe this is the right path forward,” he said.

He added that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) should remain in opposition and said he does not understand LDK’s proposal for a transitional government, stating: “Why would LDK want to bring PDK back to power, when it took them 20 years to get them out?”

“I’m not in favor of technical, transitional, all-inclusive solutions that leave Kosovo without an opposition. In a democracy, opposition is essential. I believe PDK needs at least one term in opposition. After barely bringing them down after 20 years, I don’t understand the enthusiasm of those who aren’t from PDK but want to return them to power,” Kurti said.

He admitted that compromises and concessions will be necessary to form the new government.

“We will have to make concessions, to negotiate again—primarily with minorities who already supported Haxhiu and with whom we’ve governed before, as well as with Nisma, with whom we’ve held talks. Regarding the Assembly's constitution, we must preserve the health of democracy in Kosovo, rather than impose proposals on one another. Let’s not play this negative game. We need to respect each other’s nominations and elect a deserving Assembly President,” Kurti emphasized.

He added that no agreement was reached with Nisma’s leader, Fatmir Limaj, due to his demand for the position of Assembly President.

Kurti stressed that a party with only three MPs cannot hold the Assembly presidency.

“I had meetings with the president of Nisma, held in an atmosphere of growing trust and willingness to cooperate, but we did not reach an agreement because of his insistence on becoming Assembly President. Granting that position to a party with three MPs, when I already have a coalition partner with twice as many MPs... that was not feasible,” Kurti said.

He added, however, that he is open to cooperation with Limaj, and that Nisma could have a ministerial post in the new government.
He noted that the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) managed to pass the electoral threshold thanks to Limaj, whose Nisma was part of their coalition.

Kurti stated that the President and Vice Presidents of the Assembly should be elected together “as a package,” marking the beginning of the countdown to the formation of the government.

“That countdown is now accelerating,” Kurti underlined.

He also expressed the belief that opposition MPs are under pressure from party leadership, which is why a secret vote would allow them to express their true will.

“There are many opposition MPs who may be against a government led by me as Prime Minister, but it is absurd to oppose the constitution of the Assembly—which is the embodiment of political pluralism and the foundation of democracy,” Kurti concluded.

He further stated that during his four-year term, his government achieved “state sovereignty and territorial integrity,” as well as improvements in social protection and unprecedented economic growth.