Kosovo’s ruling party wins elections after months of political deadlock

The Albanian nationalist Vetevendosje party has won a landslide victory in Kosovo’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results.

With 90% of the votes counted, the party, whose name means “self-determination”, arrives at 50.8%, a third mandate in power for its leader, Albin Kurti.

The two main opposition parties, the center-right Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), received 20.98% and 13.89% of the vote, respectively.

Vetevendosje won elections in February, but without a majority, and Kosovo has been without a functioning government ever since.

The impasse meant that a big question hung over the matter. second parliamentary election of the year.

Would voters punish Kurti for the months-long deadlock in the country’s National Assembly – or the opposition parties who refused to accept a coalition with Kurti’s left-wing movement?

The voters gave a clear answer. This will not be enough to provide enough seats for Kurti to govern without coalition partners. But he should have no difficulty finding support from MPs from ethnic minority parties, who are guaranteed 20 of the National Assembly’s 120 seats.

This is Vetevendosje’s fourth consecutive victory in the parliamentary elections. The result is vindication after opposition parties blocked his attempts to form a government following previous polls on February 9.

Kurti claimed it was “the biggest victory in the country’s history” – and said he expected opposition parties to cooperate rather than be frustrated this time around.

Third-placed Arben Gashi of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said this was possible. “When voters speak out, the outcome cannot be ignored,” he said on social media. “Reflection and responsible action are necessary,” he added.

There is a lot at stake. Kosovo has missed out on hundreds of millions of euros in European Union funds due to the absence of a functioning government. Kurti also cited potential deals with the World Bank that would bring the total sum to more than a billion euros.

Restoring relations with Kosovo’s strongest international supporters, the EU and the United States, is also expected to be on the agenda. Kurti has angered Brussels and Washington by repeatedly targeting institutions serving Kosovo’s Serb minority – from post offices to health facilities. This has increased tensions in northern Kosovo, which has a Serb majority.

The EU finally agreed to remove the punitive measures it had imposed in 2023. But it will wait for Kurti to take a pragmatic approach to the long-stalled normalization dialogue with Serbia, rather than sticking to his usual dogmatic line. Given his frosty relations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, this hope may be in vain.

The fact that Kosovo voters overwhelmingly supported such a polarizing figure reflects their jaundiced view of the alternatives. Parties linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army dominated government in the decade following the 2008 unilateral declaration of independence – but failed to deliver on promises of prosperity.

One analyst, Artan Muhaxhiri, highlighted Vetevendosje’s “countless violations of the constitution, lack of economic development and breakdown of relations with allies” during his years in power.

But he concluded that “despite all the shortcomings, citizens viewed the opposition as more harmful.”