Polis Teatime

Discussing the Results of the Kosovo Parliamentary Elections

15 February 2021 | 18:00 – 19:30

@ Zoom

with Serbeze Haxhiaj

We are glad to invite you to our next Polis Teatime on the 14 February Kosovo Parliamentary Elections, joined by journalist Serbeze Haxhiaj (RTK/BIRN).

Kosovo has been shaken by yet another wave of political crises ever since the last elections in the fall of 2019. The coalition government of Lëvizja Vetëvendosje! and The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) had a rough start, and when they had finally formed a government faced a global pandemic as the icing of a cake made of delayed reforms, dysfunctional institutions, and widespread corruption.

Less than four months after his inauguration, Prime Minister Albin Kurti was removed from office through a non-confident vote initiated by President Hashim Thaçi on 25 March 2020, supported by a number of MPs from coalition partner LDK. In consequence, a new government was formed by LDK, The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), The Social Democratic Initiative NISMA and Lista Srpska, and LDK deputy leader Vjosa Osmani was removed from her position for publicly opposing the move. In her place, Deputy Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti took over from Kurti.

On 21 December the Constitutional Court ruled that the vote of Etem Arifi of the minority Ashkali Party for Integration in favour of Hoti was invalid (as Arifi had been convicted of fraud) and consequently the government had not received the support of the majority of the Assembly. As a result, fresh elections were called, with the Hoti government continuing as a caretaker government. The elections are taking place on 14 February. While many observers expected a second Vetëvendosje! government to emerge from this chaos, Albin Kurti has been banned from candidacy together with anyone who has been convicted of a crime in the past three years.

Against the background of this rapidly changing political environment marked by intrigue and internal power plays, we want to discuss the election outcome and its impact on Kosovo in the years to come. What consequences do the elections yield for Kosovo’s geopolitical trajectory, especially in the EU accession process, the dialogue with Belgrade, and the foreseeable re-engagement of the US in the region under President Biden? How is the next prime minister going to tackle the challenges Kosovo is facing? What is the role of the vast Diaspora? And will there be a good working relationship between president and government?

As a grassroots thinktank, Polis180 wants to enable the young generation to participate in political discourse. Thus, our Polis Teatimes will focus on your questions and ideas! You can join our discussion by registering below.

About our expert:

Serbeze Haxhiaj is a journalist who works for Radio Television of Kosovo, RTK, and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network BIRN. She has been reporting on crime, corruption, and poverty in Kosovo for many years and taken part in cross-border investigations and publications.

Serbeze has received multiple awards and fellowships, including the EU Awards for Investigative Journalism for Kosovo for her investigation “Kosovo’s Invisible Children: The Secret Legacy of Wartime Rape.” This story for the first time revealed facts of concrete cases of children born from rape during the independence war in Kosovo.

We are looking forward to the discussion! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Frauke.Seebass@polis180.org or Richard.Kaufmann@polis180.org. Please register below.