Political parties and the rule of law in Kosovo

Abstract

Political parties in Kosovo, in daily agendas, in the framework of electoral activities or activities outside the official electoral campaign have a highly committed program dedication related to law and order. But, the role of political parties in enhancing the capacity of the rule of law can be understood if we first analyze carefully the mechanisms that enable the democratic function of political parties. Political parties in Kosovo lack a genuine control mechanism, a control which could be effective from the moment when the interest of a certain group to register their activity as a subject – political party appears. The control of political parties’ activities, the existing mechanisms to control this activity, the organization and elections or the internal electoral process, are some of the concerns that continue to be part of political parties in Kosovo. These are also as a consequence of a non-adequate orientation that can be understood as an additional concern for the political life in the country. Concretely, the organization of political parties with a highlighted presence of the national element, the funding of political parties and the lack of a constitutional prerogative for the Constitutional Court to be able to interpret the constitutionality of statutes and the activity of political parties, are the main topics that will be treated in this paper. By using reports from various organizations that have assisted in the democratization of political parties in Kosovo such as NDI, USAID etc., this paper will offer a real situation of the organization of political parties in Kosovo, their dedication towards democratization and it will also offer some concrete suggestions about how can we improve the role of political parties for a higher level of law and order.