Is the political crisis returning in Kosovo? / Abdixhiku interrupts his commitment to the formation of institutions

2026-07-15 22:02:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Is the political crisis returning in Kosovo? / Abdixhiku interrupts his

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, announced that he is forced to suspend talks with the Vetëvendosje Movement on the formation of new Kosovo institutions, due to developments within the party.

Through a video published on social networks, Abdixhiku said that he has authorized the party secretariat to initiate procedures for holding an extraordinary party assembly, after during the day 148 delegates of the LDK Assembly submitted signatures for its holding with the request for the dismissal of the party leader.

After verifying the signatures, Abdixhiku said that the date and place for holding the Assembly will be set.

"Because of this initiative, I am forced to suspend all commitments to the formation of the institutions of the Republic that you have rightly been waiting for for some time now," said Abdixhiku.

According to him, it would not be serious nor responsible for him to continue negotiating on behalf of the LDK, "while my mandate to lead and represent it is being questioned within my own home."

"I regret that today I am forced to turn our attention back from ourselves to a process that could irreparably damage us from within and leave Kosovo without institutions and potentially facing new elections in the fall ," Abdixhiku said.

Abdixhiku said he does not believe that talks with the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, were the reason for the call for the party assembly by 148 LDK members.

According to him, in its 37-year history, there has been no practice in the LDK for its leader to be dismissed a few months before regular party elections and a few months after the confirmation of his mandate.

On July 10, Abdixhiku, together with former President Vjosa Osmani, held discussions with Kurti on the issue of establishing new institutions after the June elections.

Although the parties did not report any results after the meeting, Kurti and Abdixhiku expressed their willingness to continue talks on an agreement on the new institutions.

Meanwhile, shortly before Abdixhiku announced the cessation of his commitment to creating new institutions, local media in Kosovo reported that an agreement had been reached in principle between LDK and LVV for the division of key state positions, but its formalization had not been made due to the internal situation in Abdixhiku's party.

Sources within the LDK told Radio Free Europe that these reports are unfounded.

"There is no agreement," sources within the LDK told REL.

REL has also reached out to LVV for comment on this matter, but has not yet received a response.

Submission of signatures

Earlier on Wednesday, the elected LDK-sc MP, Armend Zemaj, said that the necessary signatures have been collected and submitted to call an extraordinary party assembly.

While leaving the LDK office in Pristina together with the chairman of the second branch, Florian Dushi, Zemaj said that the number of signatures submitted was the same as what he had declared days earlier, over 150. According to the LDK Statute, an extraordinary Assembly can be called at the request of at least 1/3 of the Assembly delegates.

The party assembly is made up of 354 delegates elected in branch assemblies, plus the current LDK president, who is automatically a delegate to the LDK General Assembly.

The collection of the necessary signatures comes after open clashes within the LDK and dissatisfaction with Abdixhiku, after the party came third in the June parliamentary elections, winning 18 seats in the Kosovo Assembly with 120 deputies.

Also, this development is happening at a time when Abdixhiku began talks last week with the leader of the winning party, Albin Kurti of the Vetëvendosje Movement, in an attempt to reach an agreement on the formation of new institutions.

What happened?

After the LDK, which ran on a joint list with former president Vjosa Osmani, failed to achieve convincing electoral results on June 7, voices of dissatisfaction began within the party, which were nothing new, anyway.

In late June, at least two mayors and several branch leaders publicly called for Abdixhiku's resignation, arguing that he should take responsibility for the election result and the lack of significant electoral growth.

Abdixhiku responded to critics with a counter-demand, calling on them to resign.

This is not the first time that Abdixhiku's resignation has been demanded, as a similar incident occurred in January of this year, after the December parliamentary elections.

In January, he survived a vote of confidence that he himself had requested at the party's extraordinary assembly.

However, several party figures had demanded his irrevocable resignation, not agreeing to a vote of confidence. Among them was Hykmete Bajrami, who has irrevocably resigned from the position of party vice-chair.

Before that Assembly, another member of this party, Avdullah Hoti, announced his candidacy for party chairman, but the delegates only discussed Abdixhiku's performance.

The Democratic League of Kosovo is one of the oldest parties in Kosovo, founded in 1989 by Ibrahim Rugova.

It played a key role in the period of peaceful resistance and in the building of the country's democratic institutions. /REL