- Title: Kosovo parliament convenes as coalition deal remains elusive
- Date: 26th December 2019
- Summary: PRISTINA, KOSOVO (DECEMBER 26, 2019) (REUTERS) MPS FORM "VETEVENDOSJE' PARTY SIGNING IN AT PARLIAMENT SESSION HEAD OF "VETEVENDOSJE" ALBIN KURTI WAITING TO SIGN IN PARLIAMENT IN SESSION IN PROGRESS CAMERAMEN FILMING MPS STANDING / SWEARING IN GLAUK KONJUFCA (TOP LEFT) AND KURTI (SECOND TOP LEFT) SWEARING IN TEMPORARY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER JAHJA KOKAJ SEATED KONJUFCA (LEFT) KURTI (RIGHT) SEATED VARIOUS OF KURTI WALKING TO THE STAGE (SOUNDBITE)(Albanian)HEAD OF "VETEVENDOSJE" AND CANDIDATE FOR KOSOVO PRIME MINISTER, ALBIN KURTI, SAYING: "Our proposal for parliament speaker of the republic is the member of parliament Glauk Knjufca." MPS VOTING FOR KONJUFCA KONJUFCA'S PARTY MPS VOTING MPS FROM KOSOVO DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE VOTING (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) TEMPORARY PARLIAMENT, SPEAKER JAHJA KOKAJ SAYING: "75 voted pro, against voted 27 and abstained from voting are 6." KONJUFCA WALKING TO HIS PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SEAT/ SHAKING HANDS WITH KOKAJ KONJUFCA SITTING SESSION ENDING / MPS LEAVING
- Embargoed: 9th January 2020 17:11
- Keywords: Kosovo Pristina parliament
- Location: PRISTINA, KOSOVO
- City: PRISTINA, KOSOVO
- Country: Kosovo
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBM4EGP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Kosovo's new parliament convened on Thursday (December 26) for the first time since the Balkan country held a snap election in October although the two biggest parties are still struggling to reach a deal on forming a new government.
One of the biggest challenges for any government will be to negotiate a deal with neighbouring Serbia, which has steadfastly refused to acknowledge Kosovo's independence. The leftist Vetevendosje party won 29 seats in the 120-seat legislature and the centre-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) 28 in an Oct. 6 national election.
Some smaller parties have said they would support a Vetevendosje/LDK government to provide it with a majority but the LDK's demand to appoint a new President when Hashim Thaci's term ends in 2021 has proved a sticking point in negotiations between the two groups.
Vetevendosje's Glauk Konjufca was elected as speaker of the parliament on Thursday, a move that could further complicate talks as in earlier discussions a member of the LDK had been expected to fill the role.
A deal with Serbia would bring Kosovo a step closer to securing a seat at the United Nations and beginning European Union accession talks but both Vetevendosje and the LDK have said they are unwilling to compromise on anything that would undermine Kosovo's independence or its sovereignty.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after NATO air strikes drove out Serbian forces accused of expelling and killing ethnic Albanian civilians in a two-year counter-insurgency.
(Production: Bardh Krasniqi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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