Kosovo: A new President and a new Parliament
Overview:
The new parliament in Kosovo has elected a new President and confirmed the government of Hasim Thaci in office. The coalition has a relatively small majority and is composed of numerous parties raising questions about its longevity in office and effectiveness in agreeing policies. Beyond this, the new administration faces a number of immediate challenges. The IMF program is off-track, threatening a hole in budget financing. Many of the spending promises made during the election campaign are unsustainable. Negotiations with Serbia sponsored by the international community must also start soon having been delayed by the fall of the Kosovo government late last year. These talks will proceed against the back-drop of an international investigation into the activities of leading political figures at the end of the 1999 war.