News: Kosovo, third election in 18 months. Kurti wins but loses absolute majority

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has won the snap parliamentary elections, securing around 43% of the vote according to near-final official results, but failing to reach the absolute majority needed to form a government independently and end the ongoing political crisis.

The vote took place amid strong institutional instability, with Kosovo having held three elections in 18 months and experiencing prolonged periods of incomplete institutions, including the inability to elect a president and establish a stable parliamentary leadership. Turnout fell below 37%, down from previous elections.

Kurti’s party, Vetëvendosje, will now need to seek coalition partners to form a governing majority and secure the two-thirds threshold required to elect the head of state, a key step for political stability. The main opposition parties received around 21% and 18% of the vote respectively.

The political deadlock has slowed down reforms needed for the EU accession process, which requires functioning institutions and the capacity to implement structural changes. Brussels has repeatedly urged the formation of stable governments to accelerate the country’s European path.

Kurti, in power since 2021, maintains a pro-Western stance but remains critical of further concessions to Serbia, in a context of still tense relations between the two sides.

Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albin_Kurti_in_2020_%28cropped%2...