The 2010 political crisis in Kosovo started when the

Constitutional Court of Kosovo The Constitutional Court of Kosovo ( sq, Gjykata Kushtetuese e Kosovës; sr, italic=yes, Ustavni sud Kosova) is the final authority for the interpretation of the Constitution of Kosovo and judicial review of laws for compliance with the constitut ...

stated that the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

Fatmir Sejdiu Fatmir Sejdiu (; born 23 October 1951) is a Kosovar politician. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and was the 1st President of Republic of Kosovo. Early life and education Fatmir Sejdiu was born on October 23, 1951, in t ...

was violating the Constitution of Kosovo, because he was both president of the Republic of Kosovo and also leader of the

Democratic League of Kosovo The Democratic League of Kosovo ( sq, Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës, LDK) is the oldest and one of the largest political parties in Kosovo. At the legislative elections held on 24 October 2004 the party won 45.4% of the popular vote and 47 out ...

(LDK). This resulted in Sejdiu stepping down as president on September 27. A new election was announced for December 12, 2010.

Jakup Krasniqi Jakup Krasniqi (born 1 January 1951) is a Kosovo-Albanian politician and former acting President of Kosovo. He is former Chairman of the Assembly of Kosovo. In November 2020 he was arrested for charges of crimes against humanity and war crime fil ...

became the acting president of Kosovo until the election.

Early developments

On 9 January 2008, Sejdiu resigned from his position as President of Kosovo to run again in the following

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

held the same day. This would allow him to start a completely new term with the inauguration of the new legislature, given that there are no term limits established by the Constitution Framework. He received 68 votes out of 81 needed for his election after a third round of parliamentary vote, when a simple majority of 61 votes is required for the election of the president and regained the position. His opponent,

Naim Maloku Naim Maloku ( sh, Najim Maloku) (born February 17, 1958 in Labljane, FPR Yugoslavia) is a Kosovar Albanian politician and former officer of the Kosovo Liberation Army. He is a member of the Assembly of Kosovo under the banner of the AAK party. In t ...

of the

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

(AAK), running with the support of three minor parties, obtained 37 votes in the first round. Sejdiu received one vote less in the second round, while 37 deputies chose Maloku. Sejdiu was elected in the third round of voting later on the same day.

Stepping down

On 27 September 2010, Sejdiu stepped down from the post of president of the Republic of Kosovo. Prior to his resignation, the

stated that Fatmir Sejdiu was violating the Constitution of Kosovo, because he was both president of the Republic of Kosovo and also leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

References

{{Reflist Political controversies in Kosovo Political crisis in Kosovo Political crisis in Kosovo