Parliament can readopt the Law on Specialist Chambers without changes or begin a new legislative process. That is how former Constitutional Court judge Kadri Kryeziu described the situation after President Justina Shiroka-Pula decided to return the law to Parliament for reconsideration. He said the text cannot be amended in its current state.
Reconsideration of the law is on the agenda for today’s session, ahead of which Kryeziu made his remarks. Its inclusion on the agenda was approved on Thursday with 79 votes in favor, following a request from the PDK. However, the absence of lawmakers after the break brought the session to a halt.
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Speaking on TV Dukagjini’s “Five,” Kryeziu explained that the president can return a law for reconsideration only once. According to him, if Parliament approves it a second time with at least 61 votes, the law enters into force directly, without requiring a presidential decree.
The former judge said the law cannot be amended because it is suspended. If changes to its content are sought, he stressed, a new legislative initiative is needed and must go through all parliamentary procedures.
Kryeziu also explained that the Constitution provides two grounds on which the president can return a law: a finding that it affects the legal and constitutional order, or that it infringes on the freedoms and rights of national minorities.
Under Article 80 of the Constitution, a law returned to Parliament by the president requires a decision by a majority of all lawmakers. With that decision, the law is considered promulgated.
Acting PDK leader Vlora Çitaku has also called on lawmakers to approve the version from October 6. She pledged that on Monday, November 16, the PDK would submit an initiative for amendments and that they would be finalized within two weeks. Vetëvendosja and the Alliance have expressed support for another vote, while the LDK opposes it.
Meanwhile, the European Union and the embassies of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom have called for consultations before any vote. They have warned that the changes conflict with Kosovo’s international obligations.
