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Analysis by "The Guardian": Kosovo heads to early elections in attempt to end political crisis

2025-12-28 16:42:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Analysis by "The Guardian": Kosovo heads to early elections in attempt

Voters in Kosovo are casting their ballots in snap parliamentary elections in the hope of breaking a political deadlock that has gripped the small Balkan nation for much of this year.

The snap elections were called after Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling Vetëvendosje, or Self-Determination, party failed to form a government despite winning a majority of votes in the February 9 elections.

The deadlock was the first time Kosovo had been unable to form a government since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after the 1998-99 war that ended with a NATO bombing campaign.

The prime minister's party is again the favorite in the race, but it is unclear whether it will manage to gather a majority this time in the 120-member parliament, after the other main parties rejected an alliance.

Under Kosovo's electoral laws, 20 parliamentary seats are automatically assigned to representatives of ethnic Serbs and other minority parties.

Another unfinished vote would further deepen the crisis. Kosovo has not approved a budget for next year, raising fears of potential negative effects on the already weak economy in the country of 2 million people.

Lawmakers will also elect a new president in March, as President Vjosa Osmani's term expires in early April. If that also fails, another snap election must be held.

The main opposition parties, the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Democratic Party of Kosovo, have accused Kurti of authoritarianism and of alienating Kosovo's US and European Union allies since he came to power in 2021.

A former political prisoner during Serbia's rule of Kosovo, Kurti, 50, has taken a tough stance in European Union-brokered talks to normalize relations with Belgrade. In response, the EU and the US imposed punitive measures.

Kurti has promised to purchase military equipment to increase security.

No reliable pre-election polls have been published. Kurti's party won about 42% of the vote in the previous election, while the two main rival parties had about 40% combined. Analysts say even the smallest changes in the numbers on Sunday could be decisive for the future distribution of power, but nothing is certain.