Kosovo's LDK seeks to preserve unity

20/11/2006

Members of Kosovo's largest political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, insist a leadership struggle will not break it apart.

By Blerta Foniqi for Southeast European Times in Pristina – 20/11/06

Supporters of the main ethnic Albanian party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), hold posters during the last electoral rally in Pristina. [Getty Images]

The main political party in Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), has been undergoing an internal crisis, with some warning of the risk of division. Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, seeking the party leadership post, faces a challenge by the former speaker of parliament, Nexhat Daci.

A candidate for the leadership post must obtain 100 signatures from party delegates to be nominated. However, the incumbent LDK presidency, which nominated Sejdiu, gave him the right to be nominated without signatures. That move was strongly opposed by Daci, who has been running a populist campaign and holding open meetings to drum up grassroots support.

"The responsibility for all of the turmoil in LDK is its leadership," says a Daci supporter, Lulzim Zeneli. "I think everyone is aware this could provoke the LDK's division. So we are in the electoral campaign and I think that everyone is interested in having a democratic and transparent campaign," Zeneli says.

"LDK is united and will remain such and be consolidated," he adds. "I think that the election results should be respected by everyone." Some incidents have occurred at LDK branches, with supporters of each side trading accusations of vote rigging. Furthermore, there have been two bomb attacks targeting cars of officials who support Sejdiu. Police say, however, that the attacks are not necessarily linked with the LDK campaign.

Under the constitutional framework, Sejdiu cannot hold two posts at the same time. UNMIK officials say he has promised to resign from the Kosovo presidency if elected head of LDK.

"President Sejdiu knows his obligations and responsibilities that he has under the Constitutional Framework and he guaranteed us that he will work in accordance with this Constitutional Framework," UNMIK spokesperson Neeray Singh said.

Speaking to Southeast European Times, however, Sejdiu declined to say what he will do in the future. "Now I am doing my job as Kosovo president and I am respecting the Constitutional Framework. I have no stance yet as to whether I will remain the president of Kosovo or I will be the LDK president," he said.

These are the first party elections since the death of Ibrahim Rugova, who led the LDK since its formation in the 1990s. LDK is the biggest political party in Kosovo, and governs in coalition with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.