Kosovo voters cast ballots in a second attempt this year to elect a government and avoid more crisis
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Voters in Kosovo voted Sunday in early parliamentary elections in hopes of breaking the political stalemate that has gripped the small Balkan nation for much of this year.
The early vote was planned after Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s ruling Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party. could not form a government Despite receiving the most votes in the February 9 elections.
The stalemate means Kosovo has been unable to form a government for the first time since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008 following the 1998-99 war that ended with NATO intervention.
The Prime Minister’s party is again the favorite in the race, but it is unclear whether it will win a majority in the 120-member parliament this time after other mainstream parties refused to form an alliance.
According to Kosovo’s election laws, 20 seats in parliament are automatically given to ethnic Serb representatives and other minority parties.
Another inconclusive vote will deepen the crisis even further. Kosovo has not yet approved the budget for next year, raising fears that the already weak economy in the country of 2 million will be negatively affected.
MPs are preparing to elect a new president in March, as current President Vjosa Osmani’s term expires at the beginning of April. If this fails, early elections must be held.
The main opposition parties are the Democratic Union of Kosovo and the Democratic Party of Kosovo. They have accused Kurti of authoritarianism and alienating Kosovo’s US and European Union allies since he came to power in 2021.
Kurti, 50, a former political prisoner during Serbia’s rule in Kosovo, was arrested a difficult stance In talks mediated by the European Union on normalizing relations with Belgrade. In response, the EU and the US implemented punitive measures.
Kurti promised to purchase military equipment to improve 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 received about 40% of the vote.
Analysts say even the slightest change in the numbers on Sunday could be decisive for future power distribution, but nothing is certain.
Tensions erupt with restive ethnic Serbs in the north In conflicts in 2023 When several NATO-led peacekeepers were injured. As a positive step, ethnic Serbian mayors came to power there peacefully following a municipal vote this month.
Kurti also agreed to accept third country immigrants He was deported from the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s crackdown on anti-immigrant measures. Officials told The Associated Press that one migrant has arrived so far.
Although Kosovo is one of six Western Balkan countries seeking to eventually join the EU, both Kosovo and Serbia have been told they must normalize relations first.
