Kosova: Local Judges Elected to Constitutional Court
Six local judges of the newly established constitutional court were elected by parliament this past Friday.Below is an article published by CriEnglish :
Kosovo's parliament elected on Friday [15 May 2009] the six local judges of the newly established Constitutional Court of Kosovo.
Kosovo's parliament elected on Friday [15 May 2009] the six local judges of the newly established Constitutional Court of Kosovo.
The list of four ethnic Albanians, one Turkish and one Serb judge was supported by the two ruling parties, Kosovo's Democratic Party led by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Kosovo's Democratic League led by Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu.
The six candidates got 76 votes out of 99. The list now awaits formal endorsement by Kosovo President Sejdiu.
The other three judges of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo will be internationals. They will be appointed by the president of the European Court of Human Rights upon consultation with the International Civilian Representative in Kosovo.
The judges will have a nine year mandate without the possibility of renewal, while the head of the Constitutional Court is elected with the votes of the judges.
University professors Enver Hasani, Gjyljeta Mushkolaj, Iliriana Islami and Kadri Kryeziu are Albanian elected members of the court.
Former justice minister Altay Suroy represents the Turkish community and Ivan Cukalovic is elected on behalf of the Serb community.
The election of the Constitutional Court members is in line with the Comprehensive Proposal of Status Proposal of then UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
The proposal was accepted by Pristina but strongly opposed by Serbia, which dismisses Kosovo's declaration of independence in February last year [2008] as illegal.
The selection of the judges of the Constitutional Court came almost one year after the introduction of Kosovo's Constitution on June 15, 2008. The delays were justified by the Kosovo government, which said that the Constitutional Court is such an important institution that careful steps should be undertaken to ensure a proper selection of the judges.
