Under a coalition agreement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo leader Ramush Haradinaj is likely to become the next prime minister of Kosovo. But the international community has voiced concerns about the ex-KLA commander's candidacy.

By Seremb Gjergji for Southeast European Times in Pristina November 30, 2004

The coalition among the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), the Albanian Democratic Christian Party of Kosovo (PSHDK) and minority parties is nearly finalised. AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj confirmed his candidacy for prime minister Tuesday (23 November). His deputy will be a member of the LDK, Aden Salihaj.

Parliament will vote on the new government early next month, after Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova officially appoints the prime minister.

"We do not have illusions about the work ahead of us. We have self-confidence and we will reach successes. [I am] pleased with the LDK decision that this will be in the interests of all citizens," Haradinaj said earlier this week.

The LDK, which Rugova heads, was obliged to seek a coalition agreement because it did not win enough votes in the 23 October parliamentary election to form a government on its own. Out of 100 elected and 20 reserved seats, the party won 47.

Under the agreement, the LDK will run seven ministries -- economy, finance, public services, local government, transport and telecommunications, education, and youth, sports and non-residential affairs. The AAK will run the environment, employment and social welfare, and trade ministries.

The Kosovo Turk Democratic Party will run the health ministry, while the ministry of minorities and returns and the agriculture ministry will be run by representatives of Kosovo's Serbs.

According to the Kosovo Constitutional Framework, the chairman of the parliament must be a representative of the party that secured the most votes in the election -- in this case, the LDK. The current chairman, Nexhat Daci, is expected to reassume his position.

The mandate for the provisional Kosovo institutions is three years. UNMIK spokesman Jeff Bieley said this has not been changed, although local politicians raised the issue before the campaign.

Haradinaj's background as a former KLA commander and the fact that he has been interviewed by the UN war crimes tribunal have sparked concerns about his appointment. On Monday, EU security chief Javier Solana said the former rebel leader may not be the most appropriate candidate. "Whoever the prime minister is, he has to work on the standards issue . If in the end the prime minister is somebody who has to go to The Hague, he may not be the most appropriate person to work towards those standards," Solana said.

UNMIK head Soren Jessen-Petersen, however, has stressed the importance of the democratic process in Kosovo, saying the new coalition reflects the will of the voters and that the new prime minister must be accountable to them.

In comments last week, Jessen-Petersen said he expected that "The new custodians of the provisional institutions will honour their commitment to work closely with the representatives of minority communities, and towards our common goal of building a stable multiethnic society."