Media reports in Pristina named Eqrem Kryeziu, a senior member of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) party, as a possible successor to Fatmir Sejdiu as president of Kosovo after Sejdiu quit following a constitutional court ruling that it was unlawful for him to be head of state and leader of the LDK.
 
The constitutional court said that Sejdiu had violated article 88.2 of the Kosovo constitution by being head of state and a party leader at the same time.
 
The LDK is a minority partner in Kosovo’s coalition government, which is headed by prime minister Hashim Thaci.
 
After the constitutional court issued its ruling, opposition parties called on Sejdiu to resign as president. He announced his resignation on September 27 2010.
 
The president of the Kosovo assembly will act as head of state until a new president is elected. The constitution makes the role of president of Kosovo a largely ceremonial role.
 
Sejdiu was serving his second term of office, after first having been elected in 2006 after the death of Ibrahim Rugova.
 
Sejdiu said he had thought he was not in breach of the constitution but respected last week's ruling by the constitutional court, the BBC said.
 
"I was convinced that keeping the function of the president of the Democratic League of Kosovo without exercising it did not violate the constitution, the court had a different opinion and I respect the ruling," Sejdiu said.
 
The Sejdiu resignation comes amid continuing efforts at international level to bring Serbia and Kosovo to the negotiating table, following the International Court of Justice July 2010 advisory opinion that Kosovo’s February 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia was not out of line with international law.
 
Serbia refuses to recognise Kosovo as independent, but is being urged by EU states and the United States to hold discussions with Kosovo about technical issues affecting the lives of ordinary people in Serbia and Kosovo.
 
Serbia, whose backers include Russia, China and five EU states that do not deem Kosovo to be independent, insists that what it sees as the unresolved question of Kosovo’s status should also be on the table.