TIRANA – Kosovo Parliament cannot take action to vote in a new government as the Constitutional Court has made a decision to suspend the expected parliamentary vote on it refuting President’s decree to mandate a candidate for prime minister on Friday.
In an urgent action, which was not expected by some politicians in Pristina as the 1st of May is a holiday, the Court ruled to suspend temporarily the presidential decree until May 29 as it reviewed the request of Kosovo’s election winner Vetevendosje party (Self-determination Movement).
“The Constitutional Court is dedicated to prioritize and urgently review this case, in compliance with its constitutional responsibilities and function,” a statement by the Court said before the start of the meeting on Friday. Earlier the Court had demanded the president, government, parliament and ombudsman to submit their comments on the suspension of the vote before Friday noon giving them one week time to present their opinions on the President’s decree.
On Thursday, President Thaçi and LDK appeared to have coordinated their moves to attempt a parliamentary vote on a LDK-led government having as the PM-designate, Avdullah Hoti in Saturday’s extraordinary session.
President Thaci made public on Thursday his decision to offer the mandate to form a new government to LDK’s Avdullah Hoti, who would replace PM Albin Kurti ousted in a non-confidence vote last month.
Kurti’s party immediately took the matter to the Constitutional Court. Its 30 MPs submitted a 32-page-long request to the Court to suspend the vote and overturn the President’s decision to mandate Hoti as candidate for prime minister. They maintain that once the coalition government they led as election winner party was voted down, the country must go to new elections. The party has also announced that they will ask the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission for an opinion on President Thaçi’s actions to sidestep the election winner and push for a new government by smaller parties.
“Without any prejudging of the acceptance or the merits of the request the Court has concluded that the demand of its submitters for a temporary measure on the Decree of the President should be adopted as accountable,” said Court’s ruling. /argumentum.al
