Ahmeti calls for constitutional changes

The mayor of Pristina, Shpend Ahmeti, has called for constitutional changes to clarify the process of forming the government and electing the Speaker, the 15-day deadline from the certification of election results and the certification of candidates convicted by the court.

On the eve of the new elections, Ahmeti said that every time there are decisions of the Constitutional Court, there is talk of shortcomings and loopholes in the Constitution.

He also criticized the decision of the Constitutional Court that the speaker belongs to the party that won the elections, as he added that uncertainty was also caused by the recent decision that prohibits those convicted of a criminal offense from running for parliament in the last three years.

"Every time there are decisions of the Constitutional Court, we talk about the shortcomings and gaps in the constitution, and then until the next decision, there is no initiative to change it or add clarity to unclear parts. The absurd decision of Enver Hasani et al. could have been addressed 100 times... Even further, there is no Parliamentary Republic where the Speaker of the Assembly belongs to the winning party of the elections, even if that party has received only 10 percent of the votes. Even the latest decision causes uncertainty, instability that comes from things (un)stated in the Constitution. It would be good if after these elections a process of constitutional amendments were started to clarify at least three things: (i) the process of forming the government and electing the Speaker of the Assembly after the elections; (ii) When the 15-day deadline for the certification of the results for the mandate begins to run and (iii) the certification of candidates convicted by the court," he wrote on Facebook, adding that if changes are not made "in the next elections we will again lament these shortcomings."