Panelists:
DONIKA EMINI, Executive Director of the CiviKos Platform
Moderation & Introduction:
STEPHANIE FENKART, Director of the IIP
HANNES SWOBODA, President of the IIP and former MEP
Content:
Once again, the Kosovars will face snap elections on the 14th of February this year. In 2020 the Kosovars saw a new government by Albin Kurti - famously named the “Coalition of Hope” – which collapsed within 51 days of its establishment. This led to the polemical creation of a new government by Avdullah Hoti which collapsed after six months, which triggered the urge for the upcoming elections.
Besides the parliamentary election, the Kosovars will also face presidential elections in February or March 2021. This came as a result to the resignation of former President Hashim Thaci in November 2020 after the Specialist Chambers confirmed a war crime indictment against him – he was then replaced by Vjosa Osmani, who was the Assembly’s speaker.
The constitutional crisis which struck Kosovo in 2020 is clearly not the only issue the Kosovars must deal with – the Covid-19 pandemic proved that the economic and healthcare systems are crumbling, corruption is still a widespread phenomenon and the “dialogue” with Serbia didn`t deliver any significant results for years now. Additionally, the trial of former guerrilla leaders is also shaking Kosovo.
Since the discussion will be on the 17th of February - Kosovo’s independence day - the panelists will also give a brief reflection on how Kosovo evolved in the last 13 years.
What can we expect from the results of the parliamentary elections and which political parties can we expect to form a new government? What does it mean for Kosovo domestically, but also regionally? What are the main challenges and prospects for the years to come? What was achieved since the independence in 2008?