Vujinovic: If Abdixhiku chooses a coalition with Self-Determination, it will mean the end of the LDK in the long run

Security studies researcher Nikola Vujinovic believes that if LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku decides to enter a coalition with Self-Determination, it will, in the long run, mean the death of the LDK as the party it has been until now and as it was founded by Ibrahim Rugova.

The LDK, Vujinovic told Kosovo Online, appears to be moving toward considering a potential coalition with Albin Kurti's party.

“It seems to me, especially after the party's extraordinary assembly, that this is primarily about the personal interests of Mr. Abdixhiku and Vjosa Osmani, and potentially some of the actors within the LDK who are tired of being in the opposition. Over the past five years, the LDK has not become accustomed to being out of power, out of the institutions, and having to fight from the opposition. That creates a great burden for the party infrastructure because you have to find other sources of funding,” Vujinovic said.

In his opinion, considering a potential coalition with Self-Determination will cause long-term damage to both the idea of the LDK and the party itself.

“We can point to two indicators here. The first is that, after the third extraordinary election, they are losing support. Although they recorded a percentage increase compared to December, in absolute numbers they received fewer votes, and they cannot count on votes from the diaspora, which means that the citizens of Kosovo are the source of their electoral support. On the other hand, we see that the party is in turmoil and that a vast majority of its key figures are opposed to Mr. Abdixhiku. These are the people who are the face of the LDK,” he said.

Vujinovic added that at the extraordinary party assembly, Abdixhiku survived by a majority of only around twenty delegates, which he considers a defeat in substance.

“Whether his potential cooperation with Self-Determination would be aimed at preserving that support or at securing some success for himself or Ms. Osmani remains to be seen,” Vujinovic said.

Given that the Alliance has offered Self-Determination the conditions under which it could help secure a quorum for the election of the president, Vujinovic said that the Alliance has taken a principled position and that this will neither benefit nor harm the party.

“They have repeatedly said that they want their six demands to be met before they would even consider supporting a quorum for the election of the president. In other words, they do not want to enter the government, they know their own strength, and they have been very clear about that. Essentially, there is neither harm nor benefit for them because they are not the deciding factor,” he believes.

As for the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), he recalled that the party has already stated that it will remain in the opposition and has not yet taken a position on providing a quorum for the election of the president.