Vetevendosje Movement

The Belgrade-backed Serbian party in Kosovo has condemned the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement and likely new Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for saying that while Srpska Lista will not be part of his new coalition government, his cabinet will still contain a minister from the party.

Kosovo citizens go to the polls on Sunday to vote for mayors and members of assemblies in the country's 38 municipalities, hoping a change in power will lead to a change in their daily lives.

The main battle is focused in the capital, Pristina, which is also the only municipality governed by the opposition Vetevendosje Movement.

Several thousand people gathered in Pristina on Saturday at an anti-government protest organised by three main Kosovo opposition parties - Vetevendosje Movement, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, and the Initiative for Kosovo, NISMA.

Kosovo opposition parties announced a protest in Pristina on Saturday against what they call the "hijacking of the government" by the ruling parties, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK).

They called on all "unsatisfied citizens, farmers, students and all of those who are unemployed" to join them.

Police have boosted their presence throughout Kosovo in preparation for the main religious holiday of the Serbian minority.

Ice thrown at Serbian Pilgrims in Gjakova

Kosovo police arrested two members of the nationalist Vetevendosje Movement for throwing ice at a bus carrying pilgrims to Serbian Orthodox ceremonies in the western town of Gjakova.

Isa Musfata, head of the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, was elected speaker of Kosovo's parliament after 65 of 83 MPs present voted in favour.

“I will work in the interest of all MPs and all parliamentary groups no matter if they are present or not. We will work a lot for the integration of our minority communities, who elected us today”, he said after taking office on Thursday.

Opposition leaders from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Nisma and the Vetevendosje Movement failed on Monday to reach a deal aimed at stopping outgoing Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, from forming the next government.

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga said on Monday that the recently-elected legislature should convene for the first time on July 17 so she can “submit to parliament the proposal for the new prime minister nominate to parliament”.

The ruling from the constitutional court on Tuesday advised President Atifete Jahjaga that the party “that won the highest number of seats as a result of the elections to be given the possibility to propose a candidate for prime minister to form the government”.

The Central Election Commission on Thursday announced its final tally which closely resembled the preliminary figures from the June 8 national polls that gave the lead to Hashim Thaci’s ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK.