Kosovo's highest court rules government illegal

Kosovo's Constitutional Court said on Monday that a parliamentary vote in June to elect the current government of Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti was illegal.

Hoti was confirmed as prime minister with Etem Arifi, an MP from an ethnic minority party, providing the razor-thin majority. However, the court ruled Arifi's vote to be illegal due to his previous fraud conviction.

The judges said that, under Kosovo constitution and election law, a person convicted in the last three years cannot have a valid vote in the parliament. The government is now obliged to hold fresh elections within 40 days.

Arifi had surrendered to the Prishtina detention center in September, after delaying his court sentence for months. Arifi's absence meant the government lacked a majority in parliament.

Outgoing PM wins in court

The election of Hoti's coalition government was opposed by outgoing PM Albin Kurti, whose nationalist-leftist Self-Determination Movement party, (Vetevendosje or VV), lost a confidence vote in March.

Kurti had filed a complaint in the constitutional court claiming Arifi's vote was legal.

A key point on Hoti's agenda was his promise to strive for a "final deal" between Kosovo and Serbia, including free trade, but "without any change of borders."

am/dj (Beta, Reuters)