President of Kosovo: Atifete … who?

PRISTINA / PRISHTINE / Kosovo Media this week broadly covered the fact, that the new elected President of the Republic of Kosovo seems to be unknown – not only in Kosovo, but also at the EU institutions. Obviously upset, members of the European Parliament (MEP) experienced – that the EU director for the Balkans, the Slovak Miroslav Lajcak, while reporting to the Foreign Policy Committee of the European Parliament (EP) was not able to say more than “It is important that she was elected …”. Further on, likewise the questioning MEPs he wouldn’t dispose additional information. …

With surprise the MEPs are said to have noted, that even the (still) acting EU representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith from Finland, was not able to provide more insights by saying, “this president is a new face for Kosovo and presents a new Kosovo”.

Considering the ostensibly  “important” role of US ambassador Dell in taking influence on the Kosovan politics in general and on the presidential election in particular, EU representative Feith was quoted as saying: ”Kosovars feel that the US supports them, but they don’t feel that the EU is doing that … so much”.

Kosovo recently faced a political limbo by a constitutional courts decision to declare invalid the election of businessmen Behget Pacolli for President, caused by disregarding foreseen procedures during a parliamentary session  in February 2011, chaired by the beforehand acting President and experienced parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi. Subsequently Pacolli had to leave his position after 35 days in office.

Before this, the constitutional court of Kosovo likewise forced the formerly elected President Sejdiu to resign. Sejdiu was not ready to keep neutrality by quitting his parallel position as head of the political party LDK. What followed was a break of the ruling coalition and new parliamentary elections – which had to be partially repeated due to election fraud.

To finally end this story US ambassador Dell ordered the two ruling parties, the PDK from Kosovo PM Thaci and the AKR from businessmen Pacolli, as well as the main opposition party LDK from Isa Mustafa, Mayor of Kosovo’s capital city Pristina, for a meeting. According to former candidate Pacolli, on this occasion Dell pulled out of an envelope (the name of) his preferred candidate for the parliamentary election of the President of Kosovo:

The later on confirmed Atifete Jahjaga! The 36-years old President Jahjaga is the first female in this position. She was the former deputy commander of the Kosovo Police Forces and received a training at an FBI training centre in Germany and USA (…).

After all this the Kosovan nationalist “movement for self-determination” of MP Albin Kurti raised the slogan “this is not democracy but dellocracy” and “we don’t have a republic – but we have bananas”.

Meanwhile the ambitious parliament speaker Krasniqi expressed his believe, that also the election of President Jahjaga was unconstitutional as to both, the pressure of Dell and an agreement of the involved political parties to end her interim presidency after 18 months with anew elections – instead of respecting the destined 5 years legislation period. The Limbo continues … –

KS – KON – NEWS > KOSOVO 

This article was first published on  Technorati

Filed under: Media Reports, Opinion, Christopher Dell, Dellocracy, European Union, Feith, Jahjaga, Korrik Sofalia, Kosovo, Krasniqi, Kurti, Lajcak, Mustafa, Pacolli, Prishtine, Pristina, Thaci, USA