Court decision triggers government crisis in Kosovo

Kosovo has entered a government crisis after the Constitutional Court ruled that the election of the government of Premier Avdullah Hoti in June was illegal. The cabinet headed by Avdullah Hoti was elected with the vote of an MP convicted of fraud. The court ruled on a complaint filed by the Self-Determination Party, BNR Horizont reported. MP Etem Arifi was sentenced in 2018 to 15 months in prison for embezzling 26,000 euros. Under Kosovo law, a person convicted by court of last instance is not allowed to be an MP for at least three years after the final verdict. Acting President Vjosa Osmani is expected to begin consultations with political forces on a new date for parliamentary elections.

Romania elects new government

Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has nominated liberal caretaker Finance Minister Florin Cîțu as Prime Minister, AGERPRES announced. Cîțu was proposed by a coalition formed by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union-Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Alliance (USR-PLUS) and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania. The center-right coalition has set itself the goal of forming a cabinet without the Social Democratic Party which placed first at the December 6 elections and earned nearly 30% of the votes. Forty eight-year-old Cîțu studied in the USA. He worked for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, BTA informs. Romania’s new Parliament is expected to vote in favor of the new cabinet before Christmas.

Nationalist parties win Mostar’s first local elections in 12 years

Citizens of Bosnia’s town of Mostar voted for their city councilors for the first time in 12 years on December 20. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, turnout exceeded 50%. The two nationalistic parties- The Party of Democratic Action and the Croat Democratic Union won the most votes in the elections. The elections were made possible after a local teacher filed a suit against Bosnia before the European Human Rights Court for failing to hold elections in Mostar. The town has not held elections since 2008, because the Bosniak and Croat nationalist HDZ and SDA parties were unable to agree on electoral rules.

Greece launches campaign for free Covid-19 testing

Strict anti-epidemic measures in Greece remain until January 7. Two months after the introduction of quarantine in this country, the results are encouraging, but there are still active outbreaks of coronavirus infection. Military doctors are assisting the mass testing of the population. For this purpose, 130 centers are being opened in the country, BNR correspondent Katya Peeva reported from Greece. Anyone can undergo Covid-19 testing free of charge. Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife will be vaccinated against Covid-19 on December 28, thePrime Minister's office announced. The vaccination campaign started in the last week of December in five hospitals in Athens. Medical workers will have the opportunity to take vaccines first.

Nearly 1.7 million Albanian citizens live abroad

Albania's National Institute of Statistics has announced that a total of 1.7 million Albanian citizens live abroad. In 2019 alone, 47,000 people left the country, increasing the number of Albanian emigrants by 2.6% on an annual basis, BGNES reports. According to Albania's national statistics, the emigration is mainly due to economic reasons. The largest number of Albanian emigrants is in Greece, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Written by: Miglena Ivanova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov