Kurti's VV Party Scores Clear Victory In Kosovo Vote, Looks To End Political Deadlock

PRISTINA — Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetevendosje (VV) party scored a clear victory in Kosovo's parliamentary elections, setting it in position to form a new government and potentially end the small Western Balkan nation's year-long political deadlock.

With nearly all ballots counted in the December 28 election, VV was listed with 49.44 percent, ahead of three major opposition parties -- the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), with 21.07 percent; the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) at 13.62 percent; and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) with 5.70 percent.

Following the release of results, Kurti declared victory, calling it the "biggest victory in the history of the country."

SEE ALSO:
Kosovo Faces Deepening Political Crisis After 21 Failed Attempts To Elect Speaker

"On February 9, Vetevendosje and its partners won -- on December 28, the people of Kosovo and the republic won," Kurti said, referring to the previous round of voting in which VV won but fell short of a majority.

Supporters of the winning party lit fireworks and celebrated in the capital, Pristina, following the results.

In November, President Vjosa Osmani dissolved parliament and called an early election after more than 50 attempts at forming a government failed. VV led a care-taker government since the February 9 vote.

Mail-in and diaspora ballots are still to be counted, potentially pushing VV over the 50 percent mark. In any case, experts say the party -- given the magnitude of the victory -- should have no trouble finding the few extra partners to reach 61 in the 120-seat parliament if necessary.

Turnout was listed at about 45 percent. Twenty-four parties and coalitions were competing, with more than 1,000 candidates seeking seats in the parliament.

Opposition Sought To Block Kurti

The major opposition parties had said they were seeking to prevent the formation of another Kurti-led government.

The campaign was notably less confrontational than earlier this year, particularly from the VV. Analysts said the shift reflected the party’s recognition that it may again need partners to govern.

“[That] change is directly related to the need for coalitions,” Donika Emini, a senior researcher at the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group, said ahead of the vote. “Vetevendosje is aware that it cannot govern alone as it did in 2021.”

Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri said the softer rhetoric may not last. “Everything will depend on the election results,” he said, also before the vote. “If Vetevendosje achieves a very strong result, it will likely return to its harsher, polarizing rhetoric.”

SEE ALSO:
Kosovar Parties Shut Out PM Kurti, Refuse Coalition After His Election Victory

Experts say VV's most likely coalition partners will come from the non-Serbian minority parties, similar to the manner in which Kurti governed in 2021.

Some 2 million Kosovo citizens were eligible to vote, including the diaspora.

Twenty seats in the parliament are reserved for non-majority communities, and any government will need the support of at least 61 lawmakers. According to the constitution, seats are reserved for representatives of the Bosniak, Turkish, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, and Gorani minorities.

SEE ALSO:
Kosovo Plunged Into Turmoil As Lawmakers Reject New Kurti Government

West Seeks Kosovo Progress

Kosovo has an ethnic Serbian majority in several districts, while ethnic Albanians overwhelmingly populate the rest of the Balkan country.

Relations with international partners have been strained, particularly over actions by the caretaker government in Kosovo’s Serb-majority north.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a decade after a war between ethnic-Albanian rebels and Serbian forces, which ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign drove Serbian troops out and the international peacekeeping force moved in.

Ambassadors from the so-called Quint countries -- the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Italy -- had warned Kurti over the political deadlock and urged the swift formation of a stable and functional government -- essential, they said, for unlocking frozen funds, addressing key domestic and international priorities, and advancing Kosovo’s path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.