Democratic League of Kosovo
Encyclopedia
The Democratic League of Kosovo is the second largest political party
in Kosovo
. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo.
At the legislative elections
held on 24 October 2004 the party won 45.4% of the popular vote or 47 out of 120 seats (seven of which have now defected to the Nexhat Daci
-led Democratic League of Dardania
). One of the founding members, Ibrahim Rugova
was president of the party, as well as President of Kosovo
, until his death on 21 January 2006. At the last legislative elections
held on 17 November 2007, the party won only 22.6% and 25 seats but went on to form a Coalition government with Hashim Thaçi
's Democratic Party of Kosovo
(PDK); in October 2010, the LDK withdrew from the coalition.
. Since 1974 the province of Kosovo
, although part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia
, was a self-governed entity over which the Serbian parliament had almost no factual control (see Political status of Kosovo). In the late 1980s, civil unrest which had been striking the province for decades, suddenly erupted further in Kosovo as ethnic Albanians
demanded more autonomy (in view of independence). At the same time, Serbian Communists
' leader Slobodan Milošević
used the situation in Kosovo as a political means to win popularity among Serbs. In 1989, he abolished the autonomy of Kosovo using amendments to the Serbian Constitution, reverting Kosovo to its pre-1974 status, thus restoring Serbia's control of the province. In response, a group of Albanian intellectuals gathered the same year to form the Democratic League of Kosovo, which opposed these measures, as well as the ratification of Kosovo's parliament in 1990 which returned the level of Kosovo's autonomy to how it had been sixteen years earlier.
Because of its ideology, which was deemed nationalist and separatist, it was banned by the Yugoslavian authorities, together with the self-styled shadow Kosovo Parliament that opposed the ratifications of Kosovo's real assembly in July 1990. As a result, its members proclaimed in protest on the steps of the parliament building the "Republic of Kosova
", independent from Yugoslavia, which drafted its own constitution. Claiming that conditions for Albanians were not addressed, the LDK successfully called for a boycott of the Kosovar Albanians of the first free elections in 1990. Following the 1991 population census, in which LDK President Rugova also called for boycott, resulting in only 9,091 Albanians recorded which composed around 2.53% of the Kosovar population, the LDK called the Albanian people to leave and boycott all state institutions until the solution of the Albanian national question. The LDK opposed the centralized control imposed by Belgrade, which reintroduced the Serbian language as the language of Kosovo as well as making other implementations; and they were growing deeply concerned about Belgrade's handling of the Albanian populace with regards to the wider group interests.
By the Spring of 1991, the LDK had its basis in the diaspora in Zurich
, Stuttgart
and Brussels
and numbered a massive membership of approximately 700,000 people. In September 1991 the LDK-constituted shadow Albanian parliament of the self-styled Republic of Kosova adopted a resolution supporting full-scale "Independence and Sovereignty of Kosovo". The LDK then led the "Coordinating Committee of Albanian Political Parties in Yugoslavia" that included most ethnic Albanian political parties in the country. The decision was that only two choices are viable for peace and stability of the region:
1) unification of all Albanian-populated areas in Yugoslavia, or
2) an undivided Albanian state of all Albanians in the Balkans
The LDK was one of the chief organizers of a poorly organized referendum for self-determination in 1992, on which 87% of the Albanian population in Kosovo (numbering 80% of the province's population) voted for independence, which was declared illegal and further drove the rift between the Albanians and the Serbians. In 1992 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed and Kosovo
remained an autonomous province of the Republic of Serbia
. The LDK successfully called the Albanians, this time those in Central Serbia
too, in the Preševo Valley
, for a boycott of the general elections.
The LDK expressed bitterness when Kosovo was ignored during the Dayton Accords in 1995 that were supposed to end all Yugoslavian conflicts. Supporting an Albanian resistance movement the "National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo", it abandoned support of the subsequently organized Kosovo Liberation Army
which used violent means to achieve its goals. After 1997, there was a change in the government of Albania
, with a first democratic cabinet formed, and most LDK members abandoned the desire to unite Kosovo with Albania. LDK's desire for a peaceful solution to the Kosovo conflict lost support among the population and was replaced by the militarist KLA when almost an all-out war
erupted in late 1998 and 1999 between the KLA and the Yugoslavian and Serbian forces. Severe atrocities against the Albanian population in Kosovo met with harsh criticism from the LDK. With recommendations from the United States
, the LDK abandoned pursuits for an independent Kosovo and sought negotiations with Belgrade about a level of substantial autonomy for Kosovo, with Ibrahim Rugova traveling to Belgrade and meeting President Milošević (now federal leader) on this matter. The act was criticized by the Albanian public and further downgraded the LDK's popularity. After the NATO bombing campaign
of Yugoslavia in 1999, the LDK leading members were present on the signing of the Kumanovo Treaty
that adopted the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
and formalized the cessation of hostilities in Kosovo. However, despite signing that the future of Kosovo would be negotiated as an autonomous entity within Yugoslavia, the LDK continually supported the independence of Kosovo.
While still the second largest political party in Kosovo, the LDK's support has steadily declined since Kosovo's first elections (municipal) in 2001. Other political parties, including those linked to the former Kosovo Liberation Army, such as the Democratic Party of Kosovo
(PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
(AAK), have scored much gains at LDK's expense.
The party is presided by a president and five vice-presidents. The current president of the party is Isa Mustafa
.
a moderate leader who separated with the Kosovan Libration Army faction. After the war the party remained under the Conservative leadership of Rugova. The party also adopted several Pro-European
policies aswell as moving further to the Centre of the political spectrum. However after Rugovas
death the party went through a period of turmoil with several factions vieing for control over the party. However the more Liberal Conservative stance of Fatmir Sejdiu
took over leading to Nexhat Daci
and 6 other Mp`s forming the more Conservative Democratic League of Dardania
.
After losing seats consistently under Sejdius
leadership unrest within the party began to grow and before the Kosovan parliamentary election, 2010
Isa Mustafa
emerged as the new leader securing more than two thirds of the votes. Mustafas
leadership has seen the party return to the more hardline Conservative stance and in some politicians have even described as a Social conservative party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. It is a conservative and liberal conservative party; the main right-wing party in Kosovo.
At the legislative elections
Kosovan parliamentary election, 2004
Parliamentary elections were held in Kosovo on 24 October 2004....
held on 24 October 2004 the party won 45.4% of the popular vote or 47 out of 120 seats (seven of which have now defected to the Nexhat Daci
Nexhat Daci
Nexhat Daci is a Kosovan politician. He was elected as the speaker of Assembly of Kosovo in 2001 as a member of President Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo...
-led Democratic League of Dardania
Democratic League of Dardania
The Democratic League of Dardania is a newly founded political party in Kosovo. The Democratic League of Dardania was established in January 2007 by the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Nexhat Daci following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo...
). One of the founding members, Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....
was president of the party, as well as President of Kosovo
President of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo is Head of State of the disputed Republic of Kosovo. The President of Kosovo is elected by the Assembly of Kosovo. The first post-war president, who served until his death in January 2006, was Ibrahim Rugova. His successor was Fatmir Sejdiu. When Sejdiu...
, until his death on 21 January 2006. At the last legislative elections
Kosovan parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections to the unicameral Assembly of Kosovo were held on 17 November 2007, together with municipal elections. The Assembly of Kosovo is the legislative branch of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo ...
held on 17 November 2007, the party won only 22.6% and 25 seats but went on to form a Coalition government with Hashim Thaçi
Hashim Thaci
Hashim Thaçi is the Prime Minister of Republic of Kosovo, the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo , and former political leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army .-Early life and education:...
's Democratic Party of Kosovo
Democratic Party of Kosovo
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
(PDK); in October 2010, the LDK withdrew from the coalition.
History
During the late 1980s, nationalism was on the rise throughout the Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. Since 1974 the province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo was one of the two socialist autonomous areas of the Socialist Republic of Serbia incorporated into the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1974 until 1990...
, although part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...
, was a self-governed entity over which the Serbian parliament had almost no factual control (see Political status of Kosovo). In the late 1980s, civil unrest which had been striking the province for decades, suddenly erupted further in Kosovo as ethnic Albanians
Albanians in Kosovo
Albanians are the largest ethnic group in Kosovo . According to the 1991 Serbian census, boycotted by Albanians, there were 1,596,072 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or 81.6% of population...
demanded more autonomy (in view of independence). At the same time, Serbian Communists
League of Communists of Serbia
The League of Communists of Serbia was the Serbian branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, the sole legal party of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. Under a new constitution ratified in 1974, greater power was devolved to the various republic level branches. In the late 1980s, the party was...
' leader Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
used the situation in Kosovo as a political means to win popularity among Serbs. In 1989, he abolished the autonomy of Kosovo using amendments to the Serbian Constitution, reverting Kosovo to its pre-1974 status, thus restoring Serbia's control of the province. In response, a group of Albanian intellectuals gathered the same year to form the Democratic League of Kosovo, which opposed these measures, as well as the ratification of Kosovo's parliament in 1990 which returned the level of Kosovo's autonomy to how it had been sixteen years earlier.
Because of its ideology, which was deemed nationalist and separatist, it was banned by the Yugoslavian authorities, together with the self-styled shadow Kosovo Parliament that opposed the ratifications of Kosovo's real assembly in July 1990. As a result, its members proclaimed in protest on the steps of the parliament building the "Republic of Kosova
Republic of Kosova
The Republic of Kosova was an secessionist state proclaimed in 1991 by a parallel parliament representing the Albanian population of Kosovo, recognized only by the Republic of Albania...
", independent from Yugoslavia, which drafted its own constitution. Claiming that conditions for Albanians were not addressed, the LDK successfully called for a boycott of the Kosovar Albanians of the first free elections in 1990. Following the 1991 population census, in which LDK President Rugova also called for boycott, resulting in only 9,091 Albanians recorded which composed around 2.53% of the Kosovar population, the LDK called the Albanian people to leave and boycott all state institutions until the solution of the Albanian national question. The LDK opposed the centralized control imposed by Belgrade, which reintroduced the Serbian language as the language of Kosovo as well as making other implementations; and they were growing deeply concerned about Belgrade's handling of the Albanian populace with regards to the wider group interests.
By the Spring of 1991, the LDK had its basis in the diaspora in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and numbered a massive membership of approximately 700,000 people. In September 1991 the LDK-constituted shadow Albanian parliament of the self-styled Republic of Kosova adopted a resolution supporting full-scale "Independence and Sovereignty of Kosovo". The LDK then led the "Coordinating Committee of Albanian Political Parties in Yugoslavia" that included most ethnic Albanian political parties in the country. The decision was that only two choices are viable for peace and stability of the region:
1) unification of all Albanian-populated areas in Yugoslavia, or
2) an undivided Albanian state of all Albanians in the Balkans
Greater Albania
Greater Albania or Ethnic Albania is an irredentist concept of lands outside the borders of the Republic of Albania that are considered part of a greater national homeland by most Albanians, based on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in those areas...
The LDK was one of the chief organizers of a poorly organized referendum for self-determination in 1992, on which 87% of the Albanian population in Kosovo (numbering 80% of the province's population) voted for independence, which was declared illegal and further drove the rift between the Albanians and the Serbians. In 1992 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed and Kosovo
Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990-1999)
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija comprises the territory of Kosovo within the Republic of Serbia. From April 1992, Serbia itself formed an integral part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
remained an autonomous province of the Republic of Serbia
Republic of Serbia (federal)
The Republic of Serbia was a federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1990 to 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 2003 and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro between 2003 and 2006...
. The LDK successfully called the Albanians, this time those in Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
too, in the Preševo Valley
Preševo Valley
The Preševo Valley , is an Albanian political catchphrase used to describe the two south Serbian municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo, which have a majority ethnic Albanian population. Medvedja municipality is sometimes also included under this term, although it has a majority Serbian population...
, for a boycott of the general elections.
The LDK expressed bitterness when Kosovo was ignored during the Dayton Accords in 1995 that were supposed to end all Yugoslavian conflicts. Supporting an Albanian resistance movement the "National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo", it abandoned support of the subsequently organized Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
which used violent means to achieve its goals. After 1997, there was a change in the government of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, with a first democratic cabinet formed, and most LDK members abandoned the desire to unite Kosovo with Albania. LDK's desire for a peaceful solution to the Kosovo conflict lost support among the population and was replaced by the militarist KLA when almost an all-out war
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
erupted in late 1998 and 1999 between the KLA and the Yugoslavian and Serbian forces. Severe atrocities against the Albanian population in Kosovo met with harsh criticism from the LDK. With recommendations from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the LDK abandoned pursuits for an independent Kosovo and sought negotiations with Belgrade about a level of substantial autonomy for Kosovo, with Ibrahim Rugova traveling to Belgrade and meeting President Milošević (now federal leader) on this matter. The act was criticized by the Albanian public and further downgraded the LDK's popularity. After the NATO bombing campaign
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
of Yugoslavia in 1999, the LDK leading members were present on the signing of the Kumanovo Treaty
Kumanovo Treaty
The Military Technical Agreement between the International Security Force and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia, often known as simply the Military Technical Agreement or MTA or as the Kumanovo Agreement, was an agreement concluded on 9 June 1999. It...
that adopted the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, adopted on June 10, 1999, after recalling resolutions 1160 , 1199 , 1203 and 1239 , authorised an international civil and military presence in Kosovo ) and established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo .Resolution...
and formalized the cessation of hostilities in Kosovo. However, despite signing that the future of Kosovo would be negotiated as an autonomous entity within Yugoslavia, the LDK continually supported the independence of Kosovo.
While still the second largest political party in Kosovo, the LDK's support has steadily declined since Kosovo's first elections (municipal) in 2001. Other political parties, including those linked to the former Kosovo Liberation Army, such as the Democratic Party of Kosovo
Democratic Party of Kosovo
The Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
(PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is a political party in Kosovo. It was formed on 29 April 2001.- Leadership :The current president of the party is Ramush Haradinaj. In December 2004 the parliament elected him as Prime Minister of Kosovo and he formed a coalition government with the largest...
(AAK), have scored much gains at LDK's expense.
The party is presided by a president and five vice-presidents. The current president of the party is Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa is an Albanian politician from Kosovo, the Mayor of Pristina and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo .-Early life:...
.
Ideology
The Party initially started out as a Albanian nationalist Right-Wing movement which campaigned for Kosovan independence. It was then led by Ibrahim RugovaIbrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....
a moderate leader who separated with the Kosovan Libration Army faction. After the war the party remained under the Conservative leadership of Rugova. The party also adopted several Pro-European
Pro-European
Pro-European is a subjective term applied to a person who supports the idea of European unification and generally supports further 'deepening' of European integration, specifically in the context of political argument over the current and future status of the EU and its policies.-The Pro-European...
policies aswell as moving further to the Centre of the political spectrum. However after Rugovas
Ibrahim Rugova
Ibrahim Rugova was an Albanian politician who was the first President of Kosovo and of its leading political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo ....
death the party went through a period of turmoil with several factions vieing for control over the party. However the more Liberal Conservative stance of Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu is a politician from Kosovo. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo and was the first President of the Republic of Kosovo.-Early life and education:...
took over leading to Nexhat Daci
Nexhat Daci
Nexhat Daci is a Kosovan politician. He was elected as the speaker of Assembly of Kosovo in 2001 as a member of President Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo...
and 6 other Mp`s forming the more Conservative Democratic League of Dardania
Democratic League of Dardania
The Democratic League of Dardania is a newly founded political party in Kosovo. The Democratic League of Dardania was established in January 2007 by the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Nexhat Daci following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo...
.
After losing seats consistently under Sejdius
Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu is a politician from Kosovo. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo and was the first President of the Republic of Kosovo.-Early life and education:...
leadership unrest within the party began to grow and before the Kosovan parliamentary election, 2010
Kosovan parliamentary election, 2010
The Kosovan parliamentary election was held in Kosovo on 12 December 2010 following a vote of no confidence in the government that brought forward the election....
Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa is an Albanian politician from Kosovo, the Mayor of Pristina and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo .-Early life:...
emerged as the new leader securing more than two thirds of the votes. Mustafas
Isa Mustafa
Isa Mustafa is an Albanian politician from Kosovo, the Mayor of Pristina and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo .-Early life:...
leadership has seen the party return to the more hardline Conservative stance and in some politicians have even described as a Social conservative party
See also
- Democratic Party of KosovoDemocratic Party of KosovoThe Democratic Party of Kosovo is the largest political party in Kosovo . It is a social democratic party and the main leftist party in Kosovo....
- Democratic League of DardaniaDemocratic League of DardaniaThe Democratic League of Dardania is a newly founded political party in Kosovo. The Democratic League of Dardania was established in January 2007 by the former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Nexhat Daci following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo...
- Alliance for the Future of KosovoAlliance for the Future of KosovoThe Alliance for the Future of Kosovo is a political party in Kosovo. It was formed on 29 April 2001.- Leadership :The current president of the party is Ramush Haradinaj. In December 2004 the parliament elected him as Prime Minister of Kosovo and he formed a coalition government with the largest...
- Reformist Party ORAReformist Party ORAReformist Party ORA was a social-democratic centre-left political party in Kosovo. The party stood for an independent, free and democratic Kosovo.The party was normally referred to as ORA, which in Albanian means the Hour....
- New Kosovo AllianceNew Kosovo AllianceNew Kosovo Alliance is a political party in Kosovo which is in the current coalition government made up by the PDK and AKR. The party was founded on 3 May 2006, by Behgjet Pacolli the founding owner of Mabetex,the Swiss based project engineering firm responsible for some of the most significant...