Kosovo parliament to elect new president or face fresh poll

Apr 1, 2011, 10:15 GMT

Pristina/Belgrade - Kosovo's parliament has three weeks to elect a new president or again hold early elections, according to a constitutional legal expert.

On Wednesday Kosovo's Constitutional Court ruled that president Beghjet Pacolli's election in parliament on February 22 violated the law.

Since the president was thus technically never elected, a 60-day deadline for his election began running then and will expire on April 22, constitutional law expert Arsim Bajrami told local media.

Pacolli, 59, violated no law so is eligible to run again, but it is doubtful that he will be able to muster the required two-thirds majority among the 120 legislators.

The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party (PDK), Pacolli's Alliance New Kosovo (AKR) and minority representatives will need to compromise with the opposition.

But the opposition has refused to cooperate with Thaci and PDK since elections in early December, which were marred by allegations of manipulation.

If political leaders fail to agree on the election of the new president, the country will have to hold a new snap poll within 45 days after April 22, Bajrami said.

The elections in December were triggered with the disintegration of Thaci's old coalition in the wake of the then president Fatmir Sejdiu's resignation in September.

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