New Kosovo Cabinet Unveiled
10 January 2008
The leader of the Kosovo Democratic Party, PDK, Hashim Thaci announced the new line-up of the Kosovo's cabinet on 9 January 2008, after reaching a landmark coalition deal with rivals, the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK.
Thaci said seven ministries will go to the PDK, the party which won most seats in the November 17 election. Five ministries will be led by the LDK, while three other ministries will be run by Kosovo's ethnic minority groups.
There are two positions for Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet. Thaci will head the government as Prime Minister.
A close ally of the PDK leader, Fatmir Limaj will lead the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications. A former Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA fighter acquitted of war crimes by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, Limaj previously campaigned for Mayor of Pristina.
Among the ministries to be run by LDK representatives are the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The latter will be led by Skender Hyseni. He previously served as the spokesman of the late Kosovo President, Ibrahim Rugova and more recently, as the spokesman of the Kosovo status negotiating team at internationally-mediated talks.
The Turkish community representative, Mahir Yagcilar is set to be the next Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning.
Ethnic Serbs will have two ministers in the new Kosovo government. They will head the Ministry of Return and Communities but the decision to give them the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is causing controversy. Former KLA fighters argue it is wrong to give ethnic Serbs a ministry charged with providing social care for Kosovo's war veterans.
Political analysts have also criticised the new coalition arguing the dominance of Kosovo's two biggest parties in government will shut out smaller parties.
The new cabinet is expected to be approved by Kosovo's Assembly on Wednesday. It is widely expected to declare independence from Serbia in the coming weeks.
Source: Balkan Insight
