Skopje, 5 March 2024 (MIA) – Foreign Minister and DUI’s presidential candidate Bujar Osmani told TV Telma in an interview Tuesday that the seriousness of his candidacy was the reason for the party to have its own candidate at the presidential elections for the first time.

“No political party has a candidate with so much experience, both domestic and international. I am talking about leading domestic institutions and leading a big international organization. That’s why DUI believed that the seriousness of the candidacy requires that a serious attempt be made to break all taboos or stereotypes regarding the election of a president, and to ask the citizens of all ethnicities to make a decision based on quality, and not only based on ethnicity,” said Osmani asked if his presidential bid comes after the opposition coalition of the parties of ethnic Albanians nominated Arben Taravari as its presidential candidate and after the failure of talks for a joint candidate with another political party.

Osmani stated that some of the topics in his campaign will include the amendments to the Constitution in order to include the Bulgarians, since, he said, without opening negotiation chapters the country won’t be able to make a significant leap forward in the Euro-integration process, but he also said he would focus on the issue of electing the country’s president in the Parliament.

“Regarding the second topic, this is a topic which I will promote in order to seek support from the citizens for the idea. And I think that the more I speak with citizens from various ethnic communities, they’re all talking about how paradoxical it is to elect a president at direct elections with limited authorizations in a parliamentary system,” said Osmani.

He added that this issue has been a part of DUI’s party platform since 2006.

“That’s why we haven’t participated in this process for 15 years. We boycotted, demanding a consensual president in 2014. Then we had a consensual candidate. So, not only did DUI promote the idea, but it actively worked to promote it and it will remain a central topic for the party at the parliamentary elections,” said Osmani adding that the election of president in the Parliament would be “an added value”.

Photo: MIA Archive