The new composition of the Kosovo Assembly held its first session on Monday, swearing in elected MPs and appointing Vetevendosje’s Glauk Konjufca as speaker. Konjufca received 69 votes in favour from the 113 MPs present, with 33 votes against and no abstentions. Konjufca will be served by five deputy speakers, including Saranda Bogujevci of Vetevendosje, Bedri Hamza of PDK, and Kujtim Shala of LDK, who were elected with 107 votes in favour.

Two further deputy speakers representing Kosovo’s ethnic non-majority communities – Slavko Simic of Srpska Lista, representing Kosovo Serbs, and Bekim Arifi of the Ashkali Party for Integration, representing Kosovo’s non-Serb ethnic non-majority communities – were also elected, with 91 votes for, six against and 10 abstentions.

Kosovo votes its 7th government

After the constitution of new Parliament, the legislative branch elected the country’s seventh government since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, and its second led by Vetevendosje’s Albin Kurti.

Just over 13 months after his first appointment to Kosovo politics’ top position, Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti was elected as the country’s prime minister for the second time on Monday evening.

The new cabinet was approved with 67 votes in favour, 30 against and no abstentions.

Addressing the Assembly before the vote, Kurti outlined his priorities for Kosovo’s next government, stressing the need to address issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, fight poverty, and clean up the judiciary. “We will continue the vetting process we started in the Spring of 2020,” he said. “An impartial justice system is vital for the country.”

The new prime minister also stated that the dialogue with Serbia must “resolve existing problems and not create new ones.” He added that without Serbia recognising the truth of past war crimes and the contemporary reality of the Kosovo state, “there can be normalisation between the two peoples and the two states.”

Addressing economic issues, Kurti placed an emphasis on striving for greater social equality. “We need an economy where workers have more rights, contracts – an economy without monopolies,” he said. The Vetevendosje leader stated that no child should remain hungry under his governance, and that his government was committed to opening 160 kindergartens across the country.

Kurti’s new cabinet will be made up of 15 ministries, with Arben Vitia returning as health minister and Albulena Haxhiu as justice minister. Hajrulla Ceku will take over at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, while Xhelal Svecla will lead the interior ministry.

Three deputy prime ministers will also serve in the new cabinet: Besnik Bislimi, who will focus on issues relating to European integration and the dialogue with Serbia, Donika Gervalla, who will also serve as foreign minister, and Emilija Redzepi, who will focus on issues relating to Kosovo’s minority communities and human rights.

Kurti now embarks on his second spell as prime minister, having been removed from office through a motion of no confidence just 50 days into his first mandate.

One of his first challenges looks set to be appointing a new president, with Vetevendosje’s likely candidate Vjosa Osmani facing public opposition from both PDK and AAK.

According to the Kosovo Constitution, two thirds of MPs at the Kosovo Assembly are required to take part in the vote for president, meaning a united opposition could prevent any candidate from being elected, potentially leading to a dissolution of the parliament and yet more early elections.

The Kurti 2 Cabinet

-1st Deputy Prime Minister – Besnik Bislimi

-2nd Deputy PM, Foreign Affairs and Diaspora – Donika Gervalla

-3rd Deputy PM for Minorities Issues and Human Rights - Emilija Redzepi

-Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers - Hekuran Murati

-Minister of Justice - Albulena Haxhiu

-Minister of Health – Arben Vitia

-Minister of Education, Science and Technology – Arberie Nagavci

-Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport – Hajrullah Ceku

-Minister of Local Government – Elbert Krasniqi

-Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure – Liburn Aliu

-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development – Faton Peci

-Minister of Defense – Armend Mehaj

-Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Administration – Xhelal Svecla

-Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade – Rozeta Hajdari

-Minister of Economy – Artane Rizvanolli

-Minister for Communities and Return – reserved for Lista Srpska

-Minister for Regional Development – Fikrim Damka