Muhaxhiri: We will have a "déjà vu"; No one is ready for compromise

Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri has said that the only way to overcome the current political deadlock in Kosovo is for the parties to make major compromises, but that there is no willingness to do so, leaving him convinced that the crisis will continue.

"I believe we are headed for a kind of déjà vu, as everything indicates that the situation will repeat itself and the crisis will continue. The balance of power among the political parties has remained unchanged. There are no signs whatsoever that any political leader or party is prepared to take the next step, namely a serious and substantive step toward finding a solution," Muhaxhiri told Kosovo Online.

He said he was pessimistic about the current political situation and did not believe the problems would be resolved quickly. Instead, he expects politicians to wait until the last possible moment before doing what they do best—creating new blockages and additional problems.

Muhaxhiri pointed out that the only way forward is for the political parties to make significant compromises, but stressed that there is currently no willingness to do so.

"The Self-Determination Movement, Albin Kurti, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo—whoever seeks cooperation will have to make major compromises. However, at this point, we see absolutely no willingness to make such compromises," he said.

He explained that Kurti's announcement that he would first secure the election of the speaker of parliament, then form the government, and only afterwards discuss the election of the president is exactly the same approach he has used before, which is why he does not believe it will succeed this time either.

Muhaxhiri also assessed that cooperation between the Self-Determination Movement and the Democratic Party of Kosovo is impossible because the differences between the two parties are too profound and political animosities run too deep.

As for the Democratic League of Kosovo, he said that, due to internal party problems, its leader, Lumir Abdixhiku, does not in fact enjoy the support of all of the party's MPs and therefore could not count on unanimous backing from the Democratic League caucus for any agreement.

He added that even with the support of all 18 MPs from the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Self-Determination Movement would still be unable to secure the 80 votes required to elect the President of Kosovo.

"That is why I expect there will be many problems in the near future," Muhaxhiri concluded.