Kosovo Govt Faces No-Confidence Motion

Kosovo's opposition AAK party says it plans to submit a no-confidence motion to parliament on the government of Hashim Thaci “as soon as possible”.

Ardian Gjini, from the AAK, said the motion will be put forward once the party ensures it will be signed by 61 of the 120 lawmakers - the number needed to dissolve the government.

“First it is important to get 40 signatures so that it can be put on the agenda of an upcoming parliamentary session," he said.

"We currently have 16 or 17 signatures but we need to convince other opposition parties that it is vital to dissolve the government,” Gjini added.

The AAK initiative was launched last week when the party asked President Atifete Jahjaga to call new elections as soon as possible.

Thaci's coalition government, which unites his own Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, the Alliance for a New Kosovo and some ethnic minority parties, holds only 54 to 55 of the 120 seats in parliament, after some MPs left the PDK.

Jakup Krasniqi, the speaker of parliament, and Fatmir Limaj, a former minister of transport, are two major figures who quit the PDK, citing dissatisfaction with the way the party was run.

However, Adem Grabovci a PDK lawmaker, dismissed talk that the government was unable to govern. “We have more than 61 seats and we have proved this several times,” he said.

He described AAK’s initiative as “unserious”, saying “it lacks the necessary support”.

Kosovo held local elections late last year and the next general elections are not due until spring or autumn of this year.

The current government took office in January of 2008 after national polls held in November 2007.