Kosovo’s Kurti vows swift government formation after party wins half the vote, aiming to end year-long stalemate
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he will move quickly to form a new government after his Vetevendosje party took roughly half the vote in Sunday’s election, raising prospects of an end to the political deadlock that has hobbled parliament and stalled major international funding.
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With 99% of ballots counted, Vetevendosje led with 49.3% of the vote. Kurti told reporters at party headquarters that once results are certified, he intends to swiftly convene the new assembly and “immediately” form a cabinet.
The vote was Kosovo’s second this year after months of failed coalition talks following an inconclusive result in February. President Vjosa Osmani dissolved parliament in November and called the early election.
Even with a commanding lead, it remains uncertain whether Vetevendosje can govern alone. The prime minister needs 61 seats in the 120-seat assembly to secure a majority, and conditional ballots as well as diaspora votes from Western Europe have yet to be counted. Analysts say a narrow coalition could still be necessary.
“The results are not final and I don’t see how Kurti will form the government alone but it will be very easy for him to govern with a small coalition,” said Ismet Kryeziu of the Kosovo Democratic Institute. He said Vetevendosje likely needs only a few seats from Albanian or minority parties to form a cabinet.
Early tallies placed the two main opposition forces — the Democratic Party and the Democratic League — at 21% and 13.6%, respectively. Turnout was 45%, according to the results released so far.
Kurti appealed to rivals to support key international financing even if they remain in opposition. Loan agreements require a two-thirds majority in parliament, a threshold far above a simple governing majority.
“Once the results will be certified we should swiftly constitute the parliament and then form immediately a new government,” Kurti said, urging opposition lawmakers to back votes on international loans.
On the streets of Pristina, supporters celebrated Vetevendosje’s strong showing with flags and fireworks despite temperatures of minus 3 degrees Celsius. The mood was buoyed by hopes that a functioning parliament can break a legislative freeze that has stretched for most of the past year.
Another failure to form a government would prolong the crisis at a pivotal moment. Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify about one billion euros in loan agreements from the European Union and World Bank that are set to expire in the coming months. Opposition parties have balked at joining a Kurti-led cabinet, criticizing his handling of relations with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo’s ethnically divided north, where a significant Serb minority resides. Kurti has blamed the impasse on rivals unwilling to accept his mandate.
In a bid to broaden support, Kurti campaigned on pledges to raise living standards, including an extra month of salary per year for public sector workers, one billion euros annually in capital investment, and the creation of a new prosecution unit to fight organized crime. Opposition parties also centered platforms on economic relief and services, reflecting persistent voter concerns about wages, jobs and public integrity.
Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. backing after a 1999 NATO bombing campaign, has struggled with poverty, political instability and organized crime. Kurti’s term that began in 2021 marked the first time a government in Pristina completed a full mandate.
Tensions with Serbia flared in 2023, leading the EU to impose sanctions on Kosovo. The bloc said this month it would lift the measures after ethnic Serb mayors were elected in northern municipalities, but the sanctions likely cost Kosovo hundreds of millions of euros.
For now, all eyes are on final certifications, the seating of the new parliament and whether Vetevendosje can lock in the votes it needs — either alone or with a minimal coalition — to govern and push through delayed legislation and financing.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
