Constitutional Court of Kosovo
| Constitutional Court of Kosovo | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2009 |
| Country | Republic of Kosovo |
| Location | Pristina |
| Composition method | Legislative & executive selection |
| Authorized by | Constitution |
| Judge term length | 6 years |
| No. of positions | 9 |
| Website | http://www.gjk-ks.org |
| President | |
| Currently | Arta Rama-Hajrizi |
The Constitutional Court of Kosovo (Albanian: Gjykata Kushtetuese e Kosovës; Serbian: Ustavni sud Kosova) is the final authority for the interpretation of the Constitution of Kosovo and judicial review of laws for compliance with the constitution. The Constitutional Court is located in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. The Constitutional Court was established shortly after Kosovo's independence and heard its first cases in 2009.
Before 2009, constitutional review in Kosovo had either been absent or exercised by other courts. Under the 1974 constitution, the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court was vested with the authority to review legislative acts for compliance with the higher law. The 1990 constitution of the Republic of Kosovo provided for a Constitutional Court (Albanian: Gjyqi Kushtetues), but Serbian control over Kosovo did not permit for the court to come into being.
During the UNMIK international administration, the 2001 Constitutional Framework envisaged a "Special Chamber of the Supreme Court" to review the constitutionality of legislative acts. However, ultimate authority was, as was political power itself, vested in the UN-appointed administrator of Kosovo.
The current Constitutional Court was established by the 2008 constitution, which came into effect months after Kosovo's declaration of independence. The Court heard its first cases in 2009.
The Constitutional Court is composed of nine judges, appointed by the President of the Republic upon the proposal of the Assembly of Kosovo.
Members of the court are:
With international judges:
Former judges:
In 2010, the court ordered the municiplity of Prizren to change its emblem in a more multi-ethnic one.
The Court twice deposed the president : in 2010, Fatmir Sejdiu stepped down because the court found he "seriously violated the constitution" because he was still leader of his party LDK, while the constitution (art. 88.2) forbids him to exercise any political party function and in 2011 it invalidated the 2011 presidential election, holding that the procedure used to appoint Behgjet Pacolli was unconstitutional.
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