PDK demands approval of the law on Special Elections before the presidential election

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) reiterated on Saturday that it is ready to contribute to the election of the president of Kosovo, but only after the Assembly approves the proposed amendments to the Law on Specialized Chambers.

PDK Chairman Bedri Hamza said after meeting with the Chairman of the Vetevendosje Movement and Prime Minister Albin Kurti that his party can discuss the president immediately after the law is approved.

"I keep saying, PDK's request is the final approval of the law. Then, PDK is ready on the same day, in the next session, to talk and find a solution for the president and to give votes for the president," said Hamza.

He said that talks have taken place between the parties and that there are still a few days left to reach an agreement, but added that he does not know if it will be reached.

Hamza said that the request to amend the Law on Specialized Chambers is not related to the PDK's need to participate in resolving the president's issue, but to the importance that, according to him, this issue has beyond the party.

The Kosovo Government on Friday assessed that there are no legal obstacles to the PDK initiative to amend the Law on Specialized Chambers and the Specialized Prosecutor's Office.

The Government's opinion has been sent to the Assembly, while the amendments have not yet been approved by MPs or addressed by the parliamentary committee on legislation.

PDK MP Blerta Deliu also reiterated on Saturday the request that the Assembly approve the draft law in two readings. She said that, if this happens, PDK will make its 22 votes available for the election of the president.

"If the law is approved within two readings, amending the law on Specialized Chambers in the Assembly, the Democratic Party of Kosovo will have 22 votes available for the election of the president," Deliu said in an interview with the KosovaPress news agency.

She said that the presidential candidate should be a figure who can bring political forces closer together and avoid new parliamentary elections, but did not mention any specific names.

On the same day, Kurti also held a separate meeting with the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, but no other details were given.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the daily protests under the slogan "Not in my name" moved the action to the Kosovo Assembly on Saturday, after 18 days of protests against the Specialized Chambers' verdict against four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

They called on MPs who support the changes to the law to request an extraordinary session of the Assembly to review and vote on the draft law.

The organizers emphasized that, according to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, an extraordinary session can be requested by one-third of the deputies.

The draft law proposed by the PDK aims, among other things, to limit the jurisdiction of the Specialized Chambers, transfer to Kosovo cases considered outside this jurisdiction, the possibility of appealing to the Supreme Court, limit the maximum sentence to 15 years, and serve sentences in Kosovo.

The changes to the law were proposed after the Specialist Chambers in The Hague sentenced Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi to a total of 81 years in prison in the first instance. All four convicts have the right to appeal.

The deadline for electing a president ends on October 6. If the Assembly fails to elect a president within this deadline, the country risks dissolving the Assembly and having to hold new parliamentary elections./ REL