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No deal/ Kosovo on the verge of new elections

2026-04-27 13:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The constitutional deadline for electing a President of Kosovo ends at midnight on Tuesday. Without his election, the country will head to new extraordinary elections within 45 days, the third after those in February and December.

There is no agreement between parliamentary political entities on a consensual candidate for the election of the president of Kosovo that would save the country from new extraordinary parliamentary elections. The deadline set by the Constitutional Court for Kosovo to have a president is only in effect until midnight on Tuesday (28.04), after which the parliament will automatically be dissolved.

The ruling party, the Vetëvendosje Movement led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, recently offered the opposition parties the Democratic Party and the Democratic League of Kosovo to jointly present three non-partisan candidates for president. The ruling party made a statement on the social network Facebook, where it said it would withdraw its previously proposed presidential candidates, "Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca, and MP Fatmire Mulhaxha-Kollçaku," if the two opposition parties bring forward the three requested names.

"Candidates must be unifying figures, with high civic and national integrity, with proven contribution to professional and social life, and outside the current political scene," the Vetëvendosje announcement said.

The opposition calls Vetëvendosje's offer "not serious"

The two opposition political entities described Vetëvendosje's offer as "frivolous", linking it to the fact that, as they expressed it, "they make statements on Facebook" on such serious and vital issues. PDK Chairman Bedri Hamza said that "I have said earlier that the issue of the president is closed to PDK", describing Vetëvendosje's offer as "very frivolous". "For us, it is not a serious offer at all. We are different political parties. LDK is a political entity in its own right. PDK is a political entity in its own right", said Hamza.

The same position was held by the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, who said that "the issue of electing the president is too serious to be discussed through social networks". However, he said that "if Kurti wants a political agreement with the LDK, he should do it only with the LDK", and added that Vetëvendosje's offer "seems more like a political maneuver".

Abdixhiku, addressing Vetëvendosje, said that "if you want a political agreement with LDK, then talk to us. We propose the president with full responsibility. We can also propose Vjosa Osmani, if you guarantee us 66 votes for her."

The LDK has only 15 seats in the Assembly. Last week, Prime Minister Kurti offered the LDK the post of deputy prime minister and four ministers, while the Democratic Party of Kosovo the post of speaker of parliament, so that the president would remain from the Vetëvendosje Movement, namely one of its candidates, Glauk Konjufca or Fatmire Mulhaxha-Kollçaku. Both opposition parties, PDK and LDK, rejected Albin Kurti's offer, accusing him of seeking to control the main institutions in the country.

For Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Vetevendosje's offer to opposition political parties was "generous", warning that the country could go to consecutive elections due to the fact that no political party can provide the 80 MPs needed to elect the President.

Protracted impasse over the election of the president

The President of Kosovo is elected with a two-thirds majority in the first two rounds of voting, or 61 votes in the third round, but 80 MPs are needed in the chamber for the process of electing the president to continue. The Vetëvendosje Movement, with its partners in government, the non-Serb minorities, has only 66 seats in the Assembly, out of 120 seats in the Kosovo Parliament. After the end of Vjosa Osmani's mandate as President and the failure of the Assembly to elect a new President, on 4 April, according to the Constitution, the Speaker of the Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu, was appointed Acting President, who cannot hold this position for more than six months.

Haxhiu herself, who comes from the Vetëvendosje Movement, has repeatedly called on political parties to reach a consensus on the election of the president, saying that the country should not go to new extraordinary elections. On Tuesday at midnight (28.04.) the constitutional deadline for the election of the President of Kosovo ends; otherwise the country must hold new extraordinary elections within 45 days, which would be the third after those in February and December 2025./ DW