The potential for new elections in Kosovo is seen by experts as a heavy financial and institutional burden for the country. While around 100 million euros could be gained from projects that directly affect the lives of citizens, politics is leading the country towards an electoral process that increases pressure on the budget and hinders economic progress. A parliamentary session was called on Friday to review international agreements, which could significantly improve the lives of citizens, but the decision for new elections seems to be causing these opportunities to remain on paper.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has issued a decree dissolving the Parliament, calling it a constitutional obligation. According to her, the decision came after the failure of MPs to elect a new president within the deadline, while the failure to elect a head of state by March 5 has led the country towards early elections.
Economic expert Safet Gërxhaliu believes that at a time when developed countries are trying to strengthen the stability and well-being of their citizens, Kosovo is experimenting with institutions. According to him, political failures leading to new elections constitute a direct blow to the economy.
"While developed countries try to find methods to strengthen the state, to protect it from any eventual attack, to be with the citizens in the economic and social aspects, to preserve the values of their state. In Kosovo, they are experimenting with the state and what has happened with the election of the president of Kosovo, or with their non-election and going to the elections, is truly a damage that must be analyzed in many dimensions... In the economic aspect, it is truly another blow to the detriment of Kosovo. The debt in commercial banks in Kosovo, from citizens and businesses, has reached so much that it endangers macro-fiscal stability, because close to 80 percent of Kosovo's GDP today is through various loans from businesses and citizens. When we add to this the fact that we have an increase in interest rates that is affecting every day more and more the slowdown of the development processes of the private sector. When we have close to 700 million euros in withdrawals through bank cards or overdrafts and when we add to all this that we have an inflation that "In February, it was close to 5.8 percent, which best demonstrates the economic situation Kosovo is in and what awaits its citizens ," Gërxhaliu emphasizes.
In addition to the overall economic impact, Gërxhaliu emphasizes that the elections themselves have a significant financial cost. According to him, the organization of the elections by the Central Election Commission alone could cost the state budget around 9 to 10 million euros. He emphasizes that public money is being abused.
"The eventual elections alone will cost Kosovo in several dimensions in economic terms. The first will be, that is, what will cost through the CEC, close to 9 million to 10 million euros. Secondly, there will be expenses that are covered by the political parties themselves. Thirdly, they are covered by the candidates for deputies themselves. And this is a campaign of abuse of public money. Firstly, by exploiting the infrastructure and secondly, by distributing it now without any control, whether in social assistance, or in various attempts indirectly, legally to buy votes through a social policy that has proven itself in the past. Truly, the abuse of public money is the greatest sin, because today the citizens of Kosovo need support like never before, but not in this way with a diabolical political background, calculating in buying votes and eventually winning the elections that will be held within this year ", adds Gërxhaliu.
Meanwhile, another economist, Adem Qorrolli, is also critical of the current institutional and economic situation in the country. According to him, Kosovo faces serious social and economic problems, while citizens live on very low incomes. He mentions that a large part of the population lives on about two euros a day, while pensions remain at a very low level.
"Kosovo already has what we have warned about, because we have institutions that do not care about health insurance, the army, the police, or the poor citizen. To go to the elections with a pension of 120 euros, with extreme poverty and with 40 percent of the population living on 2 euros a day, and to go to the elections with a budget of minus 6 million euros and state money being misused in this way, and again for this political caste to be part of our institutions and for our citizens to see them as a livelihood or to see them as inspiration for us, will be truly painful, and we truly deserve these institutions, and we deserve what they know how to do to our people and state fees, but it has already been understood that these people do not have an institutional focus, they do not have a focus on citizens, they do not have a focus on every area that is in favor of the probability that we live better, that we have a better economy and that we have development." "economic," says Qorrolli.
Qorrolli emphasizes that going to the polls under these circumstances, when the budget is facing shortages and when citizens are facing poverty, is a decision that could further aggravate the situation.
"All that is understood is that these people have good incomes, that these people are comfortable, that these people benefit from more and more of the budget and that they can satisfy their appetites, not with 51 percent, but now they are aiming for 70 percent. It is more a war for them to benefit themselves than for the citizen to live, because to go to the elections with a migration of 40 thousand people per year and the closure of companies every day. Only the Kurti 3 Government can do this. We ask the citizens to reflect now because they will live even poorer and will go to the elections again, even though there will be another vote, they will go to the elections again because these people do not know how to work, these people know how to spend and satisfy their appetites on the votes that you give them ," Qorrolli underlines.
On Thursday, the Kosovo Assembly failed to elect the president./ Kosovapress
