Pavkovic: It suits Kurti to form institutions before the Thaci verdict

Milos Pavkovic, Strategic Director of the Center for European Policies, said that it is in the interest of Kosovo's caretaker Prime Minister and Self-Determination leader Albin Kurti to accelerate the formation of institutions, try to form a government, and reach an agreement on the election of the president before the verdict is delivered against Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA leaders by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.

"A potential acquittal of Hashim Thaci would mean his return to political life in Kosovo and would definitely make Albin Kurti's position more difficult in any potential new elections if new institutions are not formed before the verdict," Pavkovic told Kosovo Online.

Speaking about the opposition, he said that if they want to bring down Kurti, their strategy could be to prolong the process of forming institutions for as long as possible in order to wait for a favorable ruling from The Hague court.

"They could then potentially capitalize on the momentum created by that verdict and enter new elections with a better chance of achieving a stronger result, since it has become evident that Kurti is losing voters, or rather votes, from one election cycle to the next," Pavkovic pointed out.

Although he believes it might be a better strategy for the opposition to try to reach a coalition agreement with Self-Determination, he noted that this is part of the political calculations and assessments made by parties and their leaders as to what is the best option for them at this moment, whether to enter negotiations with Self-Determination or to slow the process and hope that another political crisis and a reshuffling of the political landscape will bring them more votes.