President Vjosa Osmani has called the heads of political parties to a meeting on Friday at noon, as Kosovo continues efforts to form a new government nearly nine months after elections were held.
Bekim Kupina, Osman's advisor, told Radio Free Europe on Thursday that the meeting will be held tomorrow at 12:00.
Osmani was expected to invite them for a consultative meeting, after her first mandate, Albin Kurti of the winning Vetevendosje Movement party, failed to win enough votes in the Assembly on Sunday to elect a new government.
It must appoint another candidate to form a government within 10 days of the failure of the first candidate, according to the Constitution.
However, it is not clear whether a new prime minister will be appointed, due to the lack of will from the parties to reach any governing coalition.
The leader of the second most voted party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Memli Krasniqi, on Sunday rejected the possibility of becoming the next mandate holder, in case the president asks him if he has a majority.
A few days after failing to receive the support of the Assembly for a third term, Kurti – who is the incumbent prime minister – announced new elections in December.
He said that the Democratic League of Kosovo and Nisma did not want to cooperate with him, while he himself did not want the PDK in co-government.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Kupina said that the president will call on the leaders of parliamentary parties for political compromise during a meeting with them, now scheduled for Friday.
"The president will encourage political parties to cooperate to avoid any blockade that could negatively affect the well-being of citizens and the functioning of Kosovo's institutions," Kupina told REL on Tuesday.
The president will also emphasize the importance of approving the Kosovo budget as well as the adoption of the EU Growth Plan during upcoming talks with political parties, Kupina added.
On the eve of this meeting, civil society in the country called on the president to unite the parties to approve Kosovo's new budget.
Kosovo formed a new parliament months ago, but the failure last week to form a new government has increased the risk that the country will enter 2026 without a budget.
Finance expert Haki Shatri told REL on Tuesday that the state risks going bankrupt, as it may not have money for salaries, pensions, and child allowances at the beginning of next year, if the new budget is not approved.
Shatri, the former Minister of Economy and Finance, added that without a new government, in January there will be no money even for the army and the police.
Political paralysis has also meant that Kosovo is unable to receive a single penny from the European Union's Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, from which it is expected to benefit from over 880 million euros.
The Growth Plan contains a package of 6 billion euros to support the approximation of the economies of the six Western Balkan countries to European standards.
Kosovo must ratify the agreement with the bloc in Parliament to be able to start receiving the money. REL
