The political situation in Kosovo has been engulfed by a new institutional impasse regarding the election of the country's president. The current president, Vjosa Osmani, has called for constitutional changes that would enable the election of the president through a direct vote of citizens, arguing that this is the only way to avoid political deadlocks in the Assembly.
In a public reaction on social media, Osmani stated that she has asked the Kosovo Assembly to undertake constitutional amendments that would change the current way of electing the head of state. According to her, the decision on the president should belong directly to the people.
"From now on, let the people speak," Osmani wrote on Facebook, calling on all political parties to support the constitutional changes.
The Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, has also supported President Vjosa Osmani's request that the president of Kosovo be elected through popular vote.
In a reaction on Facebook, Haxhiu said that he has accepted the constitutional amendments from Osmani, which foresee that the president be elected directly by the people.
"In this way, the bottlenecks that are hindering the functioning of institutions and making their stability impossible are eliminated. I join the President's call for voting on these amendments ," Haxhiu wrote.
The Committee passes Osman's amendments
The Legislation Committee has passed President Vjosa Osmani's amendments to change the way the country's president is elected.
After a heated debate, the amendments for constitutional changes to elect the president of Kosovo by popular vote were approved with 6 votes in favor and 2 against.
This means that these amendments can now be sent to the Assembly of Kosovo for a vote. To enter into force, these constitutional amendments or changes must be voted on by two-thirds of all members of the Assembly, including two-thirds of all members from minority communities.