Surlic: A directly elected president would become a much stronger figure in the executive branch

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, Stefan Surlic, assesses that at this moment it is an unrealistic political scenario for Kosovo to change the method of electing the president so that he would be elected directly rather than in the Assembly, because there is no consensus among political actors on this issue.

“Although there are different voices, this would require a very complex procedure of constitutional change, and it should be recalled that for a constitutional amendment the support of the Serbian community is also required. There would have to be a broad political consensus, which would include the Serbian community as well, for the president in Kosovo to be elected directly”, Surlic told Kosovo Online.

As a reason for promoting the idea of changing the method of electing the president, he cites concerns about the potential blocking of the presidential election process in parliament in the future, since that process requires broader agreement among members of parliament not only regarding the election of the president, but also regarding attendance at the session.

A direct election of the president, however, as he points out, would lead to even greater complexity in Kosovo’s political landscape.

“If the president is elected directly, he becomes a much stronger figure in a dual executive and there would be a duality between the president and the prime minister. Currently in Kosovo, all executive power is concentrated in the hands of the prime minister, and I think that Albin Kurti will not allow himself to have any rival on the political scene, especially not a figure who, through direct election, draws significant legitimacy in the political and social sphere”, Surlic assessed.