Sljuka: In a government supported by 61 MPs, parties with a single mandate would have "veto power"

Aleksandar Sljuka, associate of the non-governmental organization "New Social Initiative," tells Kosovo Online that if Albin Kurti were to receive the support of 61 members of parliament and form a government, the parties within the ruling coalition that have only one or two MPs would effectively hold "veto power" and wield disproportionate influence over the adoption of laws and the shaping of government policy.

“That government would be formed with a multitude of partners from non-majority communities and potentially from Nisma, and it would face many tests because each party could push its own interests when voting on specific laws, while Kurti would have to negotiate and compromise on each individual issue with all those actors. I think there would be many problems, though I would say those problems would also confront the opposition, should it succeed in forming a government under some scenario. In that case, there wouldn’t be as many small players, but there would be at least three major ones, each with its own interests. In general, coalition governments are unstable, and what characterized Kurti’s second term was that his government was exceptionally stable. I believe that is now changing and won’t be possible going forward,” Sljuka said.

He also emphasizes that if the new government had exactly 61 MPs, each one of them could at any moment leave the majority, trigger a vote of no confidence in the government, and push the country toward new elections.

“If it happens that certain issues can’t be resolved or if any coalition partner has red lines, it would be entirely possible for them to withdraw support from the government,” Sljuka stated.