The election of Kosovo’s next president took a new twist on Friday when the Vetevendosje parliamentary group called a meeting of the parliamentary presidency to examine a request to amend the Law on Elections, suggesting that new snap polls might be on the horizon, less than two months after Kosovo’s last elections.

Vetevendosje, which has the most MPs in the Kosovo parliament, unexpectedly tabled a motion to amend the Law on Elections to enable members of Kosovo’s diaspora to vote at embassies abroad, instead of by post. In the snap parliamentary elections on February 14, Vetevendosje received more than 75 per cent of the votes cast from abroad.

After its victory at February’s elections, Vetevendosje has been backing Vjosa Osmani as its choice for president - a role that is decided by MPs’ votes in parliament. But, according to the Kosovo Constitution, 80 of parliament’s 120 MPs must be present for the vote on the presidency to be valid, and questions have been raised about whether the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, might try to block Vetevendosje’s choice by not turning up for the vote.

A few days ago, the LDK announced that it will take part in the vote, but local media have reported that the quorum still stands in the balance because three LDK MPs are not sure whether they want to make possible the election of Osmani, who left the LDK last year and ran on the Vetevendosje candidates’ list in February’s elections.

Another potential obstacle is that for the vote to be valid, two or more candidates must run for the post. To tick this box, Vetevendosje has put forward its own rival to Osmani.

“We have today presented two candidates for president: Vjosa Osmani and [Vetevendosje candidate for MP at the February election] Nasuf Bejta,” the head of Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari Lila, told media on Friday afternoon.

On the other hand, Kusari-Lila said this ruling party got confirmation from 80 MPs that they will participate in the voting process for electing their candidate Vjosa Osmani as new president of Kosovo. “If parliament fails to elect a president, new elections are inevitable,” Kusari Lila warned.

Nevertheless, the surprise move to amend the Law on Elections on the same session didn’t sit well with opposition’s Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK. Its new leader Lumir Abdixhiku, who had agreed to greenlight the necessary quorum for the election of Osmani as the new President, made it clear at a 20.00 hrs Friday press conference that: If the proposal to amend the Law on General Elections is not withdrawn, Prime Minister Albin Kurti will lead the country to new elections.

Thus Abdixhiku hinted that, in that case, LDK MPs would not be part of the parliamentary session for the election of the president.

“This law must be part of the electoral system, which our country needs. Today's actions are aimed at blackmailing the country's opposition. On behalf of the LDK, I call on Prime Minister Kurti and the parliamentary majority to give up this blackmail today,” said Abdixhiku.

On the same time, other opposition parties, as well as a group of NGOs decried Kurti’s move and urged him to withdraw from this initiative. Comments circulated in various online media, that Vetevendosje’s sudden move was even premeditated, after a calculation that the necessary votes for the election of Vjosa Osmani as head of state were insufficient. 

Nevertheless, VV declined the appeal and decided to present the request to amend the Law on Elections. The proposition for the amendments to the Law on Elections to enter an accelerated procedure did not receive the needed two thirds of the 105 present MPs, and the parliamentary session was closed.

Later before the press, opposition representatives issued another call for Vetevendosje and PM Kurti to withdraw from the initiative altogether.