Milenkovic: Hamza the trump card pulled by part of the opposition

Marko Milenkovic from the NGO "New Social Initiative" says that Bedri Hamza, whom the Democratic Party of Kosovo has highlighted as a candidate for prime minister in the upcoming elections, is a trump card pulled by part of the opposition and that his nomination, although somewhat surprising, is also reasonable because clear political leaders have not emerged in the previous period.

"The decision for (Memli) Krasniqi not to be a candidate but Hamza, I see as rational because Hamza has had experience in management as part of significant institutions and has experience that Krasniqi lacks and is important for a potential prime minister position if you want to gain the trust of citizens and manage institutions. However, I'm not sure how the electorate will react to this candidate," Milenkovic says.

He reminds that Hamza, the current mayor of South Mitrovica, achieved a significant result in the elections in this municipality, but it is uncertain whether he can be a key asset in overthrowing Self-Determination from power.

Regarding Hamza's relationship with the Serbian community, our interlocutor says that he was not too visible in the positions he held earlier, as finance minister and governor of the Central Bank.

"What we know is that the party he comes from had a somewhat better relationship with the Serbian community than Self-Determination and the current government in Pristina. The position towards the international community and the dialogue and normalization processes was much more constructive during the PDK's rule, and during that time, many important agreements were signed, and trust was built with the Serbian community. Probably the expectations of the international community, and perhaps the Serbian community, are somewhat more positive, but we still need to see how the political campaign will develop," Milenkovic says.