Kosovo special tribunal: time for reconciliation

Things just went well again in Kosovo. With a brilliant final spurt, a majority of MPs managed to enthrone a new head of state after months of stalemate on Wednesday night. If that had not been the case, there would have been new elections - the fourth within two years. The result would have been a blockade and continued instability, which is precisely what the country needs most of all.

Seen from this point of view, the fact that this is not happening now is good news. How this came about, namely thanks to a deal between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the head of the opposition party PDK, Bedri Hamza, is less so. Because the presidential election was linked to a parliamentary vote on a new version of the law on the Kosovo Special Tribunal. If you delve deeper into the provisions, it becomes clear that the court - already only a temporary institution - can close its doors immediately.

It was only in September that the court imposed long prison sentences for war crimes against four senior members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), including the later President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi. The reactions in Kosovo? Angry protests that sometimes turned violent are a clear sign that parts of Kosovo society are unwilling to deal with their own crimes.

The taz is an independent, left-wing and opinionated daily newspaper. We have been arguing in our comments, essays and debate texts since the taz was founded in 1979. We often cannot and do not want to agree on an opinion. That's why you'll find some completely opposing positions here - all part of the very broad left-wing spectrum of opinions.

The new President Justina Shiroka Pula has announced that she will protect Kosovo's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Trying to work on reconciliation with Serbia would be just as important. Parliamentary elections will take place there this month. The chances that the balance of power in Belgrade, which does not recognize Kosovo's independence, will change and the pro-Russian Aleksandar Vučić will be replaced are not bad. Ergo: Shiroka Pula could also initiate changes in this direction. She would have the time for that.