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Kosovo government collapses in aftermath of court ruling against president

By Daniel Richey

[JURIST] The government of Kosovo dissolved its parliament [press release, in Albanian] Tuesday after the coalition led by the Democratic League of Kosovo (DLK) fell to a vote of no confidence brought by the opposition. The DLK's parliamentary majority was lost in September when its leader, then-president Fatmir Sejdiu, resigned [JURIST report] after the Constitutional Court [official website] ruled [press release] that his dual roles as head of the DLK and president violated the country's constitution. After dismantling the government Tuesday, acting president Jakup Krasniqi [official profile] announced that elections will be held on December 12 to form a new parliament, pursuant to Article 66 of the Kosovo Constitution [text, PDF], which requires parliamentary elections within 45 days of the passage of a vote of no confidence. The move is expected to complicate [AFP report] anticipated diplomatic negotiations with Serbia, as well as the country's intensifying bid [BBC report] to join the EU. The coalition government had ruled the fledgling republic since it declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.

In July, the Serbian National Assembly [official website] passed a resolution [JURIST report] that Serbia would never recognize Kosovo's independence. Earlier that month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) [official website] ruled that Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia [JURIST reports] did not violate international law. In June, a group of 25 countries that recognize Kosovo's independence urged the government to increase its efforts [JURIST report] to battle crime and corruption after meeting with Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on November 03, 2010 (boomark / email).