Ukshini: Agreement on the president could be reached around a neutral figure from academia

Former diplomat Syle Ukshini believes that if Albin Kurti wants to reach an agreement on the election of the president, the candidate's name will have to be the subject of negotiations and could be a neutral figure from academia. He says it is also important that the person be trustworthy, have no reputation for corruption, and have never had any problems with the law.

Among Kosovo's two million Albanians, Ukshini told Kosovo Online, there are as many potential political candidates "as you could possibly want," but judging by Kurti's style of governing, he is not inclined toward compromise.

"He says he won. Kurti and everyone else should understand that no party has enough votes to elect the president on its own, so compromise is necessary. He has said that the candidate should be non-partisan. It is difficult to understand exactly what he means, but based on his statements before the elections, it appears that he wants to push for new elections again, believing that he can once more defeat the other parties and wear them down. But democracy is not only about winning and exhausting the opposing parties. It is also about earning the voters' trust to govern the country," Ukshini said.

He added that while the positions of Assembly Speaker and Prime Minister belong to the Self-Determination Movement, it would be advisable to reach a compromise when it comes to the presidency.

"The fact that Kurti has the largest number of MPs works in his favor. If he wants to reach an agreement on electing the president, then the candidate's name will have to be negotiated. I think a neutral figure could come from academia, but it is important that the person has integrity, is trustworthy, has no reputation for corruption, and has never had any problems with the law," he concluded.