TIRANA, September 3 – Caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he remains optimistic about securing the votes needed to elect a new president of Kosova, although he acknowledged that the situation remains difficult.

Kurti held separate meetings with Democratic League of Kosova leader Lumir Abdixhiku and 9 lawmakers from non-Serb and Serb communities. The talks followed a fragile agreement with the Democratic League on the candidacy of Bekim Sejdiu.

Six Democratic League lawmakers have publicly opposed Sejdiu’s candidacy. Kurti described the development as negative but said the government now has 74 votes for president. He did not explain how he would secure the additional votes needed to reach the required 80.

Meanwhile, Abdixhiku warned that the latest developments could prevent Kosova from overcoming its political and institutional crisis. He said the public positions of lawmakers had created a numerical obstacle to resolving the situation.

Emilja Rexhepi, a lawmaker from the Bosniak community, told Radio Free Europe that non-Serb community lawmakers support Sejdiu. However, she said the candidate could not win without support from other Albanian political parties and predicted new early elections.

At present, Kosova has an acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, after Vjosa Osmani’s mandate ended in April. Under the Constitution, Haxhiu can remain in office for only 6 months, until October 4.

/a.p./