Kosova: Parliament Votes For New President Today
The Kosovo Parliament will vote today for a new president to succeed the late Ibrahim Rugova. The ruling Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which Rugova led until his death from lung cancer last month, formally named 54-year-old lawyer and university professor Fatmir Sejdiu as its candidate earlier this week.
A two-thirds majority in the 120 seat parliament in either the first or second round of voting is needed to elect a president. If two attempts fail, a simple majority is enough in the third round of voting. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and two other smaller parties back Sejdiu, giving the LDK a simple majority.
With the UN Security Council waiting to launch talks on Kosovo's future status on 14 February, all three rounds of voting are expected to take place Friday.
According to the constitutional framework, each party with more than 25 members in parliament has the right to nominate a candidate for president. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK), led by Hashim Thaci, has not yet decided if it will field a candidate. Senior DPK leader Javit Haliti said in a statement Tuesday that the party has not ruled out the possibility.
UNMIK chief Soren Jessen-Petersen welcomed Sejdiu's nomination. "In spite of the sadness we all feel, it is important that the political process goes on in order to carry forward the vision of President Rugova. I therefore welcome this nomination by the presidency of the LDK and look forward to the Assembly of Kosovo moving promptly to the election of a new president," he said.
The Friday date was selected after the DPK agreed to withdraw its request to postpone the vote until next week due to Thaci's schedule. Jessen-Petersen had sharply criticised any delay, saying it is urgent to move the process forward.
