Kosovo lawmakers back new coalition government

Legislators in Kosovo have backed a new coalition government headed by veteran politician, Isa Mustafa, putting an end to six-months of political uncertainty.

“The parliament elected the new government of Kosovo with Isa Mustafa at its head,” Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli said on Tuesday.

Seventy-three lawmakers voted in favor of Mustafa’s new government while 38 opposed it.

“The first pillar of the government will be economic development, new jobs and welfare,” Mustafa said in an address to the parliament following his nomination.

Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), was elected after a surprise deal between the LDK and outgoing Prime Minister Hashim Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) on Monday.

The agreement put an end to a political impasse that followed snap elections in June.

The PDK came first in the snap elections on June 8; however, it only won 37 seats in the 120-strong parliament and failed to form a ruling coalition that supported him as prime minister.

The LDK, in turn, established a bloc with four opposition parties to stop Thaci’s third mandate and vowed to form their own coalition. But under a clause in the constitution, which says only the election front-runner can nominate the speaker of parliament, the opposition was unable to name its own candidate.

The situation led to a political crisis as a government cannot be formed until a speaker has been named. Therefore, Mustafa ultimately turned his back on his allies and clinched a deal with his main rival.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has so far received international recognition from about 100 countries. However, Serbia refuses to recognize independence of Kosovo.