Muhaxhiri: The most important division between Kurti and Osmani is regarding the CSM

The most important division between Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti is concerning the Community of Serb Municipalities and their relationship with the international community, according to political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri. As he stated for Kosovo Online, while Osmani's approach to the international community is more pragmatic, Kurti's methods are more radical.

Muhaxhiri says that Kurti and Osmani initially wanted to present a picture of harmony, which, he adds, is impossible because they come from different backgrounds.

"Now these divisions have become much more visible. I think the most important division is in their relationship with the international community because Kurti has more radical ways of dealing with the international community, the United States, and the most important EU members such as Germany, France, and Italy. President Osmani has a more realistic and pragmatic way of dealing with them," Muhaxhiri said.

Another major division in views between Kurti and Osmani is the draft of the CSM, which has led to the latest conflict between Kosovo's leaders.

"Especially regarding the Community of Serb Municipalities, there is a significant difference, as the Prime Minister had the opportunity to send the draft to the Constitutional Court, but he did not. President Osmani was more in favor of that step and entering the Council of Europe, and I think that is the most important division," Muhaxhiri added.

When Osmani joined the Self-Determination Movement, she brought her voter base, so a conflict with Kurti, as the party's leader, could mean a loss of 300,000 votes, which Osmani received in the presidential elections.

"It is evident that she took votes from the LDK and sent them to the Self-Determination Movement. Those are her votes, so if she is not on good terms with the Self-Determination Movement, those voters will not vote for that party again," Muhaxhiri added.

Kurti and Osmani presented an image of a young generation of leaders ready to cooperate, Muhaxhiri says, adding that their conflict damages their image and causes disappointment among the electorate.

"Also, there is a big problem with Kurti's image, as well as the image of the relationship between Kurti and Osmani, because after the 2021 elections, they created the image of a young leadership, a new generation of leaders who are more constructive and ready to cooperate with each other compared to the older generation of leaders. But now the same thing is happening to them. This will be a big disappointment for voters in Kosovo, as they hoped for a new step forward, a new era of political leadership, but now this brings them back to the mediocre political games we have seen in the last 25 years," Muhaxhiri concluded.