Kosovo Parliamentary Election: Prime Minister Kurti's Vetevendosje clearly ahead according to preliminary results

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) followed in second place with 21.2 percent, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 17.7 percent, and the Alliance for the Future with 7.1 percent. A total of 22 parties, three alliances, one citizens' association, and one independent candidate ran on election Sunday.

According to the election commission, voter turnout fell to 36 percent, down from 45 percent in December 2025. In the previous vote in December, Vetevendosje had received just over 51 percent of the votes, after 42 percent in February 2025. At that time, the party won 51 percent of the votes, which, however, was not enough for an absolute majority due to the mandates reserved for minorities.

Trigger: failed presidential election

The new election became necessary because the government and opposition could not agree on the election of a new head of state in time. In April, parliament was dissolved after the parties could not agree on a candidate for the largely representative office of the president. Previously, the incumbent President Vjosa Osmani had dissolved parliament in March after no successor could be found. The constitutional court overturned this decision and set a deadline for electing a new head of state by April 28. This deadline also passed without result.

The outgoing President Albulena Haxhiu then set new elections for June 7. The conflict revolves around the succession of Vjosa Osmani, whose term had expired on April 4. To elect a successor, the Kosovo constitution requires a two-thirds majority or a quorum of 80 of the 120 members of parliament. The quorum forces the governing camp to reach a certain consensus with the opposition.

Prime Minister Kurti instead nominated a candidate from his own ranks, whom the opposition rejected. "A cooperation of the ruling party with at least one larger opposition party would therefore be necessary," the reporting states. The opposition accuses Kurti of refusing coalitions. It hopes that his party "Self-Determination" will receive significantly fewer votes and thus be forced to cooperate with other parties.

Kurti and the search for coalition partners

Despite the expected election victory, Vetevendosje would still depend on coalition partners to form a new government. It is not yet clear whether Vetevendosje, as in the previous election in December 2025, will achieve a governing majority together with members of ethnic minority parties. A government formation initially did not materialize after the December election, until Kurti, with the help of ethnic minority parties, reached 66 of the 120 mandates.

Kurti himself said at the final campaign rally that he wished for a result better than in December. At that time, Kurti's party ultimately received significantly more votes and mandates than the election-day polls had suggested. Aleksandar Sljuka of the NGO New Social Initiative in northern Kosovo analyzed that a large part of the strong December result came from the Kosovo diaspora, who had traveled home for Christmas.

In the opposition camp, the return of Vjosa Osmani to party politics is causing a stir. Osmani was previously active in the LDK, left the party in 2020, and founded the small center-right party Guxo, which later allied with VV. She is now running for the LDK. Kosovo expert Donika Emini from the University of Graz said in a conversation with European Western Balkans that Osmani could be one of the few figures in a fragmented opposition environment who could realistically challenge Kurti's dominance and shift the competitive balance.

Osmani's return to opposition politics

From the perspective of historian Konrad Clewing of the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS), growing polarization is evident in Kosovo. Speaking at the IDM, Clewing described VV as an ideological party whose structure is tailored to Kurti. The December election victory further reinforced Kurti's unwillingness to compromise. Clewing said Osmani may have been "too visible." If VV loses votes in this election, the party could, in Clewing's assessment, be more willing to compromise.

Naim Rashiti of the Balkans Policy Research Group said in a DW interview that the Kurti-Osmani combination had been more of an ad hoc electoral alliance than a new political leadership. Kurti and Osmani are both ambitious and competitive, partially agreed on domestic policy, but diverged on foreign policy. Kurti justified his refusal to support Osmani with the lack of a quorum – with 66 mandates, he did not have the necessary majority for her election.

Political analyst Arben Fetoshi of the University of Pristina told Deutsche Welle that the current impasse cannot be understood without the Serbian approach. According to Fetoshi, Serbia's hybrid interference – especially in elections – aims to control the representation of the Serbian community in order to continue to use it as an instrument against Kosovo. Clewing noted that Serbia has not abandoned its revisionist approach, such as the non-recognition of an independent Kosovo.

Serbia and the conflict in the background

The EU has repeatedly called on politicians in Kosovo to build stable institutions. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said during a visit to Pristina that Kosovo needs stability in order to benefit from EU funds totaling 880 million euros. Kosovo is seeking EU membership but is currently classified only as a "potential" candidate country due to the unresolved conflict with Serbia.

The constant new elections have delayed reforms as well as the disbursement of EU funding. Due to the instability, Kosovo faces the loss of EU funding. The European Commission also cites corruption and organized crime as further concerns. In May, the EU threatened the loss of funding in the millions due to the ongoing political instability. "Kosovo urgently needs a fully functioning government, a solid parliament, and a properly elected president," Kos demanded.

EU pushes for stable institutions

In view of the third new election in a row, frustration is spreading among the population. The retired teacher Gezim Selimi told the news agency AFP in Pristina: "Enough is enough." He expects the parties to finally work for Kosovo instead of wasting time with election after election on power struggles. IT specialist Miranda Fazliu called it "frustrating to see that the election will produce the same result as before." Analyst Ardi Uka told AFP: "The crisis will continue" – and compared the cycle of new elections with the situation in Belgium or Bulgaria.

The estimated costs of the new election amount to around ten million euros. Inflation in Kosovo was already above five percent at the beginning of the year. With approximately 1.6 million inhabitants, the country is one of the poorest in Europe. Should the government and opposition again fail to agree on a presidential candidate, Kosovo faces a cycle of ever-new parliamentary elections, according to reports. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence and continues to claim the territory; other EU member states also do not recognize Kosovo out of fear of separatism, blocking the path to EU membership.

With information from David Freches, ARD Studio Vienna, currently in Pristina. (APA, 6/7/2026)