The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK, Kosovo's current ruling party) is increasingly closer to losing power after yesterday three opposition parties (LDK, AAK and Nisma) agreed to designate Democratic League of Kosovo's (LDK) Isa Mustafa as the new Assembly Chairman. This is the first realization of the opposition alliance that was announced immediately after the June 8th parliamentary election, and that could end up by having PDK's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci (left image) out of government.

But if in the end a change of government occurs, it will not be a smooth process. PDK was the largest party in the election and has thus the right to try to form a government, according to a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court. The problem for Thaci's party is that it only won 37 seats out of 120, with no other allies.

If PDK is not able form a government, the Court said, then Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga may ask another candidate to do so. The three opposition parties  together hold 47 seats, and they are convinced that a candidate hailing from their ranks -most likely AAK's Ramush Haradinaj- can gather the support of other parties -either from Vetëvendosje or from minority parties- in order to secure an absolute majority.

But the Constitution of Kosovo, as this analysis explains, is ambiguous on this point: it is unclear whether the second candidate to form a government must also be a member of the same party -PDK, in this case- or not. The PDK considers the second candidate should also hail from its ranks, while opposition parties argue that this would be absurd.

Yesterday's session in the Assembly ended with PDK MPs leaving the chamber and announced that they will challenge the nomination of Isa Mustafa at the Constitutional Court. The PDK is thus hardening its stance from previous weeks, and says that "decisions that came from an illegal, anti-democratic and anti-constitutional process."

Both PDK and opposition parties to stay on track towards EU

Differences between PDK and opposition parties are not arising from ideology: all four parties vying for power are centre-right parties who support Kosovo's closer association with -and subsequent integration to- the the European Union. Only Vetëvendosje has a clearly differentiated line: the party holds centre-left positions and is very critical of the role of European and international institutions in Kosovo.

Opposition parties essencially argue that the two Thaçi's terms in government have been marked by rampant corruption and inability to improve the Kosovar economy. In this context, they say, PDK must be left outside government.