Comment:Kosova's Coalition Must Carry On Without Haradinaj

Tuesday, 2 August, 2005

The link has been copied

Ardian Gjini

Ever since the indictment of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and his resignation, there have been calls for the formation of a new broad coalition government in Kosova.

This would replace the current arrangement, yoking Haradinaj's Alliance for the Future of Kosova, AAK, the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK and some smaller parties, including a Serb political movement.

Despite initial international and local criticism, Haradinaj's government proved effective in addressing the issues under the competence of the Provisional Institutions of Self Government, PISG, especially the all-important standards implementation process.

While much praise went rightly to Haradinaj himself for - as some said - achieving more in three months than his predecessors did in years, the government's success was not all down to Haradinaj's focused and charismatic leadership.

A key factor was that this government was created purely out of the will of the political parties that were involved it.

It was the first government in Kosova to rest on a political consensus among the coalition parties and with no interference from the international community.

Since Haradinaj resigned, there have been vigorous demands for a return to the old pattern of all-inclusive coalition governments.

The idea enjoys strongest support - naturally - from the opposition parties, especially the Democratic Party of Kosova, PDK, led by of Hashim Thaqi.

It is also supported, though somewhat less vigorously, by the fourth political party in Kosova, led by Veton Surroi.

There is speculation that the idea additionally enjoys the backing of important elements in the international community.

The principal argument in favour of the idea is that Kosova will be more peaceful if all parties are included in government.

In other words, there is a concern over the behaviour of the opposition if it is left outside the government at this critical time.

That the international community might be concerned is understandable, however if the opposition is fuelling the anxiety then you don’t have to be an academic to see this as a threat.

But while there is only one real argument to support the creation of a new broader coalition, there are plenty of strong arguments in favour of keeping the current arrangement.

Firstly, the ruling coalition has always made it clear that they do not intend to sideline the opposition parties when it comes to talks on Kosova's final status.

Then again, with little time left for the standards implementation process, starting negotiations on forming a new government will take up much of the precious time left.

It will take valuable time for new ministers to find their feet and get hold of their tasks in the complex standards implementation process. A new government might not be ready until mid-June, by when it would be impossible to move anything forward.

Another set of arguments against the formation of a new broad coalition concerns doubts over whether such a government would be cohesive or viable.

A new government created as a result of internal or external pressure, rather than as an expression of political will by the coalition parties themselves, will not work well.

Keeping such a government together might prove far more challenging (if not downright impossible) than keeping the opposition in its place.

Supporters of such a new arrangement argue that the current coalition government cannot continue without Haradinaj's personal presence.

What they forget is that the current coalition – even without Haradinaj - has ministers who have shown they are willing to work as a team and move things forward.

Those ministers have gained considerable knowledge about where the standards process stands and about the momentum created by Haradinaj.

A new government would have none of this. Before it was even up and running, it might well run out of time when it came to doing much on standards implementation.

Anyone aware of these facts might legitimately conclude that the international community must have made a deal that we are all not aware of.

Whether this is true or not, it is not the time for secret deals. The international community has invested a lot in Kosovo – and especially in the creation of a democratic political process, which is now alive and getting stronger every day.

It is time to show support and respect for this same process. After all, it is one of the most important standards that needs to be implemented.

Ardian Gjini was the former prime minister’s senior political adviser and is a senior member of the AAK.