Kurti: We must remove the pressure of electing the president and focus on the KLA leaders

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti held a press conference a few hours before the deadline for electing the president expired, at a time when failure of the process would take the country to extraordinary parliamentary elections.

If the president is not elected by midnight, Kosovo would face another electoral process, which would be the fourth parliamentary one within about two years.

Kurti said that the issue of the conviction of the former KLA leaders in The Hague has never been linked by the Government to the election of the president.

“We have never linked the issue of the conviction of the KLA leaders in The Hague to the issue of electing the president; we have always considered them separate,” Kurti said.

He said that for those convicted at first instance he expects the decisions to be corrected on Appeal, while also calling for a national strategy.

“But both of them go beyond all parties. For the four convicted at first instance, we believe in a correction on Appeal on the one hand, and on the other hand we need a national strategy,” Kurti said.

According to him, the process of electing the president is urgent, as its failure would bring a new period of institutional uncertainty.

“The Appeal is currently very urgent, therefore without a president today, for months on end, Kosovo is without institutions, so we must remove this pressure and have our attention and our minds on the defence of the former KLA leaders,” Kurti added.

Developing story… /Telegrafi/