Ramush Haradinaj, formerly Prime Minister of Kosovo, must be responsible for war crimes. After his resignation, is now elected a new Parliament. The country faces many challenges.
Great interest: Well-attended election rally in Kosovo
Of fate, of the historical elections, politicians speak in Kosovo. The reality is somewhat more modest: “I would not call these elections on Sunday, as historically, but as a necessary and important elections,” says the Analyst Rrahman Paçarizi in an interview with DW. “Currently, there is no Consensus on the most important challenges, such as the dialogue with Serbia. This is needed if Kosovo wants to move forward.”
The 120 seats in the Kosovo Parliament compete 25 political parties and coalitions. Over a thousand candidates compete for the trust of around two million voters. The Constitution of the Ksovo provides a kind of double “positive discrimination” for minorities. 20 of the seats in Parliament are reserved for minority representatives: ten for the Serbian minority, and ten for Bosniaks, Roma, Ashkali, Turks, and Egyptians. The second positive discrimination is that minorities have to be mandatory involved in the government.
Head-to-head race
Who will win in the end, is completely open. For the first Time since the war in Kosovo in 1999, at least four parties or coalitions have good chances of getting the most votes. The latest polls see the democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), democratic party of Kosovo (PDK), The coalition Alliance for the future of Kosovo and the social democratic party (AAK-PSD), as well as the movement “Vetevendosje” (self-determination) is almost equal. In Kosovo will be entrusted to a decision of the constitutional court, with the formation of the government, who gets the most votes.
Leader of the opposition, with good prospects: Albin Kurti of the movement “Vetevendosje” (self determination)
For the first Time in the history of the youngest European state, a political party provides a top candidate: The 37-Year-old lawyer, Vjosa Osmani from LDK has a good chance to become the first Prime Minister of the Kosovo-elected. Equally, legitimate hopes of victory can, however, also the other three top candidates: Parliament President Kadri Veseli (PDK), the former head of the government, Ramush Haradinaj, as well as opposition leader Albin Kurti (Vetevendosja)
Formidable Challenges
The race was never so exciting and unpredictable, my observers in Prishtina. They are, however, agreed that the new Prime Minister or the Prime Minister was not to be envied. “The inner political and foreign political challenges are very large,” says the Analyst Naim Rashiti in an interview with DW. Political construction sites there are in almost all areas: The disastrous economic situation and the lack of education, corruption and crime, major problems in the health care and nepotism.
The biggest challenge for the next government, however, is to make progress in the unresolved relationship with Serbia. Many observers describe the future of the Executive, therefore, already now as the “government of Dialogue”, because without a normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, not a complete relaxation of the situation in the Western Balkans, it is conceivable. “The primary foreign policy tasks of the new government, the dialogue, the visa liberalisation, the fight for the recognition of Kosovo, as well as the EU and NATO integration process”, says Rashiti.
In need of help
But as long as Serbia opposes any Form of recognition of categorical and Kosovo internationally, where possible, blocked, no government in Prishtina alone progress. The Land remains in all respects to the support of the US and EU rely.
A difficult Chapter dealing with the special court for the crimes of the KLA (Kosovo liberation army)-the court in the charge the previous Premier Haradinaj to be heard is. “To be able to all of these tasks, you must find the new government is a way for a comprehensive political coordination, especially in the dialogue with Serbia”, emphasized Rashiti.
Kosovo, formerly an Autonomous Region of Yugoslavia within Serbia – has. on 17 February 2008 for declared independent. The young state was recognized up to now, more than 100 countries but not by Serbia, Russia, China, and five EU members (Spain, Slovakia, Greece, Romania and Cyprus). In one of the EU-mediated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia have been signed since 2011, over 30 agreements. However, even the implementation of these contracts is a mammoth task. A full normalization of relations is still a distant prospect.
Ramush Haradinaj resigned – he must answer for war crimes
The USA have appointed a new special envoy for this Dialog – the current US Ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell. He is considered to be a very good connoisseur of the relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Also on the part of the EU, it is expected a new Impulse, which should lead to a normalization of relations between former enemy neighbors.
Dialogue with Serbia
Belgrade has agreed to a compromise with Prishtina requires, however, a solution in which Kosovo is not “everything to gain” and Serbia “would lose everything”. The two presidents of the countries, Aleksandar Vucic (Serbia) and Hashim Thaci (Kosovo) have brought in the past few months, the possibility of border changes between Kosovo and Serbia into the game. Neighbouring countries such as Northern Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Montenegro, and Germany and many other EU members to see this “as a very dangerous idea” and international law, the breaking of a taboo.
Because of the Serbian campaign against the recognition of Kosovo, the government of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj almost a year ago, had raised the customs duties on Serbian Goods to 100 percent. After that, Serbia had canceled the Dialog.
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IS-returnees in Kosovo
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As Kosovo tries to integrate IS-returnees
USA, Germany, Britain, France, and Italy (also the Quint group is called) have made it clear: they do not support any of the parties or coalitions that advocate for a rapid government formation, to the action and negotiating ability of Kosovo to restore. “The composition of the new government is very difficult because there are between the political parties have very different positions on the dialogue with Serbia”, so Paçarizi. The journalism Professor in Prishtina is convinced that you will again “need the support of the international representatives for the formation of the new government”.
The elections will be monitored by Thousands of local and international observers. The EU deployed an observer mission, with approximately 100 observers to Kosovo. They demand a smooth, democratic and fair Electoral process. The first unofficial result is anticipated for Sunday night.