Surlic: Candidate for Kosovo’s president will be chosen based on principle of dividing the political pie

On the question of a candidate for the new president of Kosovo, which is becoming increasingly relevant as Vjosa Osmani’s term nears its end, Stefan Surlic, assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade, believes that party maneuvering will decide according to the principle of dividing the political pie: “who gets the prime minister’s post, and who the president’s.”

In the event that the Self-Determination Movement puts forward a presidential candidate, Surlic notes, their proposal this time might be Donika Gervalla, whom Albin Kurti has previously been said to trust greatly.

“Given her international standing, strong language skills, and already established position as foreign minister, she could hypothetically be a valid candidate for them,” Surlic told Kosovo Online.

If opposition parties were to become part of the majority coalition, Lumir Abdixhiku, the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, would, in his view, be the ideal candidate of that party for the presidency.

“Despite all the criticisms, he has managed to present himself as the leader of the LDK, as someone coming from the academic community and who maintains a composed stance,” Surlic emphasized.

If the PDK were to become a junior partner in a future ruling coalition, their candidate might be the party’s leader Memli Krasniqi, our interlocutor believes, though he adds that it cannot be said that anyone within these parties is both already seen as a presidential candidate and internationally well-established.

“I think that, in the end, it will be about the party arithmetic of who that position belongs to, and then parties will count internally which figure meets the minimum standards and criteria for such an important position, one that is at least declaratively unifying and that should secure a significant percentage of votes, probably including those of the opposition as well,” Surlic said.