Consolidating Democracy in Kosovo: The Effective Functioning of Basic Institutions

Abstract

A democracy is considered to be consolidated when no major political grouping attempts to overthrow the democratic regime or promote violence in order to seize any part of the territory from the existing state. Democracy becomes 'the only game on the town’ even when the state faces economic and political difficulties and challenges, all political groups believe and seek to find a solution within the constitutional order and democratic procedures. Namely, before any situation and difficulty in the state, the political forces in the country do not seek to solve problems by undemocratic means.

In addition to the main factors mentioned by various authors, in the case of Kosovo, a key problem for the consolidation of democracy, consolidation and positioning in the international arena is the process of normalization of relations with Serbia and cooperation and effective functioning of the three main constitutional institutions; The Assembly, the President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, as the main pillars of the system policy based on the principle of separation of powers.

In principle, their greatest contribution to the consolidation of democracy in Kosovo is, the election and exercise of constitutional functions is done in accordance with the principles and norms set by the Constitution, enjoys the confidence of the majority of the population in the country, and there are no significant political forces and nor the attitudes of the public trying to replace democracy with authoritarian forms of government. In other words, echoing the metaphorical expression of American scientist Juan Linz, a consolidated democracy emerges when democracy is the only game in town.