Kosovo court blocks election date until 31 March

On Monday evening, Kosovo’s Supreme Court ruled that President Vjosa Osmani cannot announce the date of early elections before 31 March. According to the court, the decision also temporarily freezes parliament’s efforts to elect a new head of state.

Osmani dissolved parliament last Friday and called early elections without setting a specific date. She took this step after lawmakers failed to elect a new president within the constitutional deadline, which expired at midnight last Thursday.

The situation following the court’s decision has further deepened the political crisis in the country. Kosovo is the youngest state in Europe and is seeking to join the European Union. At the same time, it did not have a fully functioning government for most of last year, as the fragmented parliament was unable to elect a president for months.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti requested the court’s ruling to verify whether the president had acted in accordance with the constitution. Kurti was a political ally of Osmani in the past, but this time he decided not to support her in her bid for a second term.

The government welcomed the court’s decision but warned that several important measures would remain unapproved by parliament in the coming weeks.

If the elections take place, they will be the third parliamentary vote in Kosovo in just over a year.

(reuters, max)