Assembly plenary session delayed, few MPs in the hall

The plenary session of the Kosovo Assembly, called for today (September 28) starting at 11:00, has not yet begun. According to a report by the Kosova Free Voice Agency, even more than 15 minutes after the announced time, only a small number of MPs are in the Assembly hall.

On the session’s agenda are five items: approval of the minutes from previous sessions, the swearing-in of MPs, approval of the Declaration on the September 16 Judgment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the election of the Assembly’s deputy speaker from the ranks of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, and the formation of parliamentary committees.

This is the first session since the Special Court’s guilty verdict, which sentenced the former KLA leaders — Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi — to a total of 81 years in prison. The main item, the Assembly’s institutional declaration on this decision, is expected to bring the legislature’s official stance on the Hague ruling. Assembly Speaker Albulena Haxhiu called the first meeting of the new legislature’s Presidency on Saturday, where today’s session was decided.

Earlier, Prime Minister Albin Kurti arrived at the Assembly two hours before the session began, but did not speak about Sunday’s meeting with PDK leader Bedri Hamza. LDK MP Janina Ymeri announced that two draft declarations on The Hague are expected to be voted on in the session — one from PDK and one from Vetëvendosje — expressing concern that the demands of the protesters, who have been holding rallies in support of the former KLA leaders for days, are not reflected in the documents.

The protests under the motto “Not in my name” continue today as well; citizens are expected to gather again tonight at “Skënderbeu” square in Pristina. Today’s session remains decisive for completing the legislature’s structures — with the election of the deputy speaker from PDK and the formation of committees, which are still not fully functional.