RadioTelevision Kosovo on Feb. 9 reported that a coalition agreement on the formation of a new Kosovo government will be signed by the end of the week.

The coalition will comprise the Democratic Party of Kosovo of Hashim Thaci, the New Kosovo Alliance of Behgjet Pacolli and the Ibrahim Rugova Ticket.

Citing sources in the Thaci party, RT Kosovo reports that the coalition will secure 65 of the 120 seats in the Assembly. Most minority community MPs are expected to join the bloc.

The coalition will consist of 34 MPs from the Thaci party, eight from the Pacolli party, 22 MPs from the minority communities and one from the Ibrahim Rugova Ticket, that is, Uka Rugova,

the son of the first Kosovo president. He was in a preelection coalition with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.

For the time being, it is not known whether the United Serb Ticket, which won four mandates, will enter the cabinet headed by Thaci. Ticket leader Rada Trajkovic said she will not join

Thaci's cabinet, but added that it is her personal position rather than an agreement within the ticket.
It is expected that the new coalition will be announced by Feb. 11.

Sources from PDK says that now since the only ruling coalition formula seems to be with AKR and community parties, the PDK is looking into the possibility of getting more numbers through the support of certain MPs from LDK and AAK and also two MPs from Rada Trajkovic’s party. Such an effort, if positive, would secure the PDK a government with 65 votes.

The paper further notes that Thaçi will have to accommodate partner parties by giving them more ministries with the Serb SLS which until now had two ministerial posts insisting it will demand at least three while the G+ Group, from non-Serb communities, asking for two ministries.

In addition, there is the AKR to which the PDK will have to give at least five ministries. AKR officially still remains by its demand to have its leader Behgjet Pacolli take up the post of the president but unofficial sources say the post could end up being given to Agim Çeku who ran in last elections as part of the AKR coalition.

Koha Ditore reports that Hashim Thaçi, on Tuesday evening could not promise to Behgjet Pacolli the post of the President of the state as for this he does not have the sufficient support from his party.

Reliable sources of Koha Ditore said on Wednesday that there are up to ten MPs from PDK who will not vote Pacolli for President because they want that the head of the state post to belong to Jakup Krasniqi.

They are counting that the Krasniqi candidacy will gain support also from the LDK and AAK deputies because of the fact that he had a principled stance while performing official duties.

Bota Sot reports that it is already believed that the agreement for the coalition between PDK and AKR has been achieved.

This has been confirmed by Bota Sot newspaper, but also by other media and RTK. According to a senior PDK official, whom RTK quotes, the coalition for sure will include, except AKR, also the Ibrahim Rugova List and the communities.

According to the paper’s sources, Thaçi has said yes to the requests of AKR for the election for the President of the Republic of Behgjet Pacolli and on a number of ministries believed to be four to six.