Nezir Kraki is ready to leave behind his academic career in France to become actively engaged in the political scene of Kosovo.
The Political Science Professor, who has been lecturing at Paris-Est Creteil University for years, has decided to run in the parliamentary elections on February 9 - for the first time in a political race.
"For me, the laws within which a society functions should be as clear as possible and as compatible as possible with the concrete needs of citizens," the 43-year-old tells Radio Free Europe.
He is on the list of candidates of the Vetëvendosje Movement, which is currently in power, which he says he chose to advance laws that benefit citizens - without specifying which ones - but also Kosovo's foreign policy.
With a completely different goal, Drin Ejupi has decided to participate in an electoral race for the first time.
A journalist for 15 years in Kosovo, he says he will work for a freer press and not just...
"... for a more independent justice system, for citizens more connected to sports, because that's where health is, for sustainable social and economic development," says the 35-year-old.
For these goals, he says he has found himself in the program of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, on whose list he has already been included as a candidate for MP.
Jehona Lushaku Sadriu also intends to become part of the Assembly for the first time.
For years, she has been a professor of Political Science at the University of Pristina and Director of Education in the Municipality of Pristina. She joined the Democratic League of Kosovo in 2021, and this year she decided to run for the position of MP for the first time.
He says he made the decision after seeing the "difficult conditions in schools" and the "poor quality in pre-university education."
"I will push forward the platform of all-day learning throughout Kosovo," says the 44-year-old.
To strengthen her conviction, she recalls that such a project was launched last year in five primary schools in Pristina and says that the results so far are positive.
Another candidate who has embarked on a similar journey is Emine Daci Zejnullahu.
In her 50s, she has become a candidate for the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo for the first time and says her goal is clear: to boost the agricultural sector.
Daci Zejnullahu is educated in the field of economics and sustainable agricultural development and teaches at a private college in Pristina.
She expresses her belief that, by being part of the decision-making process, she will be able to commit to increasing local production.
"Most of the food in Kosovo is imported. Our remittances and salaries go outside Kosovo and that's how other countries are built," says Daci Zejnullahu.
All the areas where these candidates intend to focus their energies, in fact, need improvement.
Due to the failure to normalize relations with Serbia, Kosovo has stalled on the path to membership in the European Union.
It is the only country in the Western Balkans region that does not have the status of a candidate country for membership in this bloc.
The state of media freedom in the country, according to the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, deteriorated last year. On the list of 180 countries, Kosovo is ranked 75th, or 19 places lower than in 2023.
The quality of education is also low. In three PISA tests - an international program for assessing students in reading, science and mathematics - conducted in 2015, 2018 and 2022, Kosovo has come out near the bottom of the global list.
And, as for the economy, the country has had a large imbalance between imports and exports for several years now. On average, it imports goods worth 5 billion euros per year, while exporting less than 1 billion euros.
There have been similar promises of change before, but it remains to be seen how many of these will be implemented this time.
Over 1,200 candidates will compete in the parliamentary elections on February 9, from which the new composition of the Parliament will be elected, and four candidates for prime minister: Albin Kurti of Vetëvendosje, currently in power, Bedri Hamza of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku of the Democratic League of Kosovo and Ramush Haradinaj of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
