The coalition government in charge of Kosovo for less than two months was overthrown Wednesday March 25 by a vote of no confidence. The censure motion was introduced by a minority party in the government coalition led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Leftist nationalist party leader Vetevendosje came to power on a promise to end the reign of elites accused of corruption. After a dozen hours of debate, the censure motion won 82 out of 120 votes.
It constitutes the culmination of internal struggles which deprive the territory of direction in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. For several days, many residents of the former Serbian province, where health services are sorely lacking, have been tapping pots and pans on their balconies to protest the political crisis.
At the opening of the session, a protester had defied the curfew decreed by the authorities in an attempt to halt the spread of the epidemic by displaying a banner in front of the Parliament which read: “The most dangerous pandemic for Kosovo is politics. Shame on you ! “
The Prime Minister and his supporters claim to be victims of the maneuvers of President Hashim Thaci, a former guerrilla and central figure in Kosovar politics since the 1998-1999 war of independence. The legislative elections of October 2019 had consecrated the defeat of the PDK’s independence veterans, but the mandate of President Thaci, their leader, does not end until 2021.
Albin Kurti accused the president of orchestrating the political crisis to keep his hands on business and finalize a US-backed plan to swap territories with Serbia. According to local media reports, this plan would lead to a change in the borders between Kosovo and Serbia, which never recognized the independence of its former province proclaimed in 2008. Mr Kurti categorically opposes such a scenario while as it refused to bow to intense pressure from Washington to fully lift 100% taxes on Serbian products, the main obstacle to the resumption of dialogue with Belgrade.
“Secret Agreement”
In his efforts to reignite these talks, the new envoy appointed by the administration of US President Donald Trump had Hashim Thaci as his interlocutor. Albin Kurti told deputies to be “Convinced” one “Secret agreement” on an exchange of territories had been discussed.
Under the terms of the Kosovo Constitution, the president could give Albin Kurti or a representative of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) a new mandate to form a government or dissolve parliament, which would lead to early elections.
The LDK initiated censorship of its own government, a first in the history of the unstable young democracy of 1.8 million inhabitants, to protest the dismissal of one of its ministers by Albin Kurti. The minister in question expressed support for the state of emergency desired by President Thaci to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, which officially infected more than 70 people and left one dead.
Albin Kurti was against such an exceptional measure, which would have conferred on the “Snake” – this is the nickname given to Hashim Thaci during the war -, powers much more important than his current ceremonial role.
“Obvious abuse of power”
For Arben Hajrullahu, professor of political science at the University of Pristina, the “Ambassadors of the powers which supervise Kosovo [Etats-Unis, Royaume-Uni, France, Allemagne, Italie] must have a harsh and critical attitude against this obvious abuse of power ”. But it seems that a wedge has been broken between Washington and European heavyweights like Germany and France, who so far have been unanimous in their efforts to normalize relations between Pristina and Belgrade.
Tuesday, Paris and Berlin had thus called on Kosovo to give up the vote, judging that the territory had “Need a stable and fully operational government to deal with the crisis”. The US ambassador to Kosovo said on the contrary ” happy “ the holding of the poll.
Kosovo is used to political upheavals. Since independence, no government has come to the end of its mandate. But today many people feel like they are the victims of a multi-strip pool table and fear the worst in a country where doctors and equipment are scarce.
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