New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo

Kosovar political party

New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo Iniciativa e Re Demokrarike e Kosovës
Leader	Elbert Krasniqi
Founded	19 July 2001; 23 years ago (2001-07-19)
Headquarters	Peja, Kosovo
Ideology	Egyptian minority interests Social democracy Third Way
Political position	Centre to centre-left
Assembly	1 / 120
Website
http://irdk-kosova.org/
Politics of Kosovo Political parties Elections

Politics of Kosovo


Constitution and law
Executive President Vjosa Osmani Prime Minister Albin Kurti Second Kurti cabinet Government
Legislature Assembly Chairman: Glauk Konjufca
Judiciary Constitutional Court Kosovo Judicial Council
Administrative divisions Districts Municipalities
Recent elections Presidential: 2016 2021 2026 Parliamentary: 2019 2021 next Local: 2013 2017 2021 Referendums: 1991 2012 2024 Political parties PDK LDK AAK SLS VV AKR
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The New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo (Albanian: Iniciativa e Re Demokrarike e Kosovës, IRDK) is a political party in Kosovo registered on 19 July 2001. It represents the Balkan Egyptian ethnic minority. Its current leader is Elbert Krasniqi, who serves as minister of local government administration in the Republic of Kosovo's coalition government.

The party was aligned with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) for many years, though more recently it has been associated with Vetëvendosje (VV).

History

The New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo was founded in March 2001 by Emin Sefa, Imer Alijaj, Ibish Bajrami, Bislim Hoti, Avdullah Qafani, and others. Hoti was chosen as the party's first leader.

The party won two seats in the 2001 and 2004 Kosovan parliamentary elections, and its elected candidates in this period were Hoti and Xhevdet Neziraj. Both served in the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.

Neziraj succeeded Hoti as party leader in 2007. In the 2007 Kosovan parliamentary election, the party fell to one seat, which went to Neziraj. He continued to caucus with the AAK in the parliament that followed.

The IRDK was the only registered party representing Kosovo's Egyptian community until December 2010, when Hoti founded the breakaway League of Egyptians of Kosovo (LEK). In the 2010 Kosovan parliamentary election, Neziraj was elected to a fourth term, while the LEK failed to win any mandates. Neziraj once again caucused with the AAK. (Hoti, for his part, rejoined the IRDK in 2013.)

The IRDK lost support to the newly formed Egyptian Liberal Party (PLE) in the 2014 parliamentary election and for the first time in its history fell below the electoral threshold for assembly representation. It remained below the threshold in the 2017 parliamentary election. Elbert Krasniqi succeeded Neziraj as party leader in 2017.

The party returned to the assembly in the 2019 parliamentary election with Krasniqi as the party's elected delegate. In November 2019, he joined the parliamentary group of Vetëvendosje. He was re-elected in the 2021 parliamentary election, in which Vetëvendosje won a landslide victory, and was afterward appointed as a minister in the Republic of Kosovo's coalition government. His assembly seat went to the second-ranked candidate on the party's electoral list, Fridon Lala, who sits with the Multiethnic assembly group.

Electoral performance

Note: Of the four assembly seats reserved for the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, one seat is specifically reserved for the Roma, one for the Ashkali, and one for the Egyptian community. The fourth seat is assigned to the community with the highest overall votes.

Assembly of Kosovo
Year	Popular vote	% of vote	Overall seats won	R AE seats	+/–	Government
2001	3,976	0.50	2 / 120	2 / 4	2	-
2004	2,658	0.39	2 / 120	2 / 4		-
2007	2,121	0.37	1 / 120	1 / 4	1	-
2010	1,690	0.24	1 / 120	1 / 4		-
2014	1,456	0.20	0 / 120	0 / 4	1	-
2017	1,520	0.21	0 / 120	0 / 4		-
2019	1,755	0.21	1 / 120	1 / 4	1	Government support
2021	3,305	0.38	1 / 120	1 / 4		Coalition

External links

Official website

Political parties in Kosovo

Parliamentary parties

Albanian	Alternativa Alliance for the Future of Kosovo Democratic League of Kosovo Democratic Party of Kosovo Guxo New Kosovo Alliance Vetëvendosje
Serbian	Civic Initiative for Freedom, Justice and Survival Serb List
Minority	Ashkali Party for Integration New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo New Democratic Party Progressive Movement of Kosovar Roma Romani Initiative Social Democratic Union Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo Unique Gorani Party Vakat Coalition

Non-parliamentary parties

Albanian	Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo Fjala Justice Party Liberal Party of Kosovo Movement for Unification Social Democratic Initiative Social Democratic Party of Kosovo
Serbian	New Democracy Party of Kosovo Serbs Progressive Democratic Party Serb Civic Initiative Serb Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija Serb Kosovo-Metohija Party Serb People's Party Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija Serbian Social Democratic Party Union of Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo and Metohija United Serbian List
Minority	Bosniak Party of Democratic Action of Kosovo Bosnian League of Kosovo Civic Initiative National Wing Civic Initiative of Gora Coalition for Gora Democratic Ashkali Party of Kosovo Democratic Party of the Macedonians Egyptian Liberal Party Kosovar New Romani Party Kosovo Turkish Union League of Egyptians of Kosovo Montenegrin Democratic Party Party of Democratic Action Social Democratic Party of Gora Turkish Justice Party of Kosovo United Roma Party of Kosovo

Defunct

Parties	Democratic League of Dardania Džemijet Green Party of Kosovo Independent Liberal Party Movement for Integration and Unification National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo New Spirit Party Parliamentary Party of Kosovo Partia e Fortë People's Movement of Kosovo Reformist Party ORA
Alliances	Coalition Party LA Coalition PANA coalition

References

Agata Domachowska, "The Political System of Kosovo," in Political Systems of the Former Yugoslavia, (Berlin: Peter Lang), 2017, p. 171.
Rubin Zemon, "History of the Balkan Egyptians", Interculturalism and the Bologna Process, p. 8.
ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVEND TË REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2001 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Kandidatët e zgjedhur sipas Subjekteve Politike), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 12 January 2022.
ZGJEDHJET PËR KUVENDIN E KOSOVËS 2004 – Fletëvotimi për Zgjedhjet për Kuvend të Kosovës 2004 (Lista e Kandidatëve për Zgjedhjet për Kuvend të Kosovës 2004), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 January 2022.
Periudha e parë Legjislative (17.11.2001 - 23.11.2004) – Bislim Hoti, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2024.
Periudha e parë Legjislative (17.11.2001 - 23.11.2004) – Xhevdet Neziraj, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2024.
Periudha e dytë Legjislative (23.11.2004 - 12.12.2007) – Bislim Hoti, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2024.
Periudha e dytë Legjislative (23.11.2004 - 12.12.2007) – Xhevdet Neziraj, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2004.
Rubin Zemon, "History of the Balkan Egyptians", Interculturalism and the Bologna Process, p. 8.
Periudha e tretë Legjislative (13.12.2007 - 03.11.2010) – Xhevdet Neziraj, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2004.
Rubin Zemon, "History of the Balkan Egyptians", Interculturalism and the Bologna Process, p. 8.
Abetarja e Pushtetit, Iniciativa Kosovare për Stabilitet, December 2013, p. 83.
ZGJEDHJET E PARAKOHSHME PËR KUVENDIN E REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS 2010 – Rezultatet dhe Statistikat (Rezultatet e të gjithë kandidatëve), Central Election Commission, Republic of Kosovo, pp. 42, 51; accessed 2 February 2022.
Periudha e katërt Legjislative (12.12.2010 - 07.05.2014) – Xhevdet Neziraj, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2024.
IRDK Info, New Democratic Initiative for Kosovo, September 2013, p. 4.
Elbert Krasniqi, Minister of Local Government Administration, Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2024.
"IRDK MP Elbert Krasniqi joins the Vetevendosje Parliamentary Group", KOHA, 18 November 2019, accessed 21 March 2024.
Fridon Lala, Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, accessed 21 March 2024.
Zora Popova, "Minority Participation in Kosovo Elections: Opportunities and Challenges", European Centre for Minority Issues, June 2013, p. 4.

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