Kosovars went to the polls for the general elections that will determine the next government on February 9, 2025. Only 41% of registered voters voted in the 2025 elections, where participation was significantly lower than in previous elections. According to the election results, in the Kosovo Assembly, which consists of 120 seats, Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party Vetëvendosje (VV), which means “Self-Determination Movement” in Albanian and carries out leftist and nationalist politics, will be represented with 46 deputies, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with 25, the Democratic Union of Kosovo (LDK) with 20 and the conservative Union for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) party with 9 deputies.
In the parliament, where minorities also have a constitutional quota of 20 seats, Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista, in the region where Serbs mostly live, was entitled to take all 10 seats reserved for Serbs. The other 10 seats are allocated to Albanians and other non-Serbian minorities.[1]
The political climate in Kosovo has long been dominated by two mainstream parties, PDK and LDK, founded by state founder Ibrahim Rugova. In addition to these two parties, the VV and AAK movements, which managed to become the ruling party in 2019, have also been playing important roles in Kosovo politics recently.[2]
General elections indicate a multi-vocal environment rather than a single-party majority and pressure in the Kosovo Government and Parliament. It is thought that there will be serious difficulties in establishing a coalition government and that these difficulties will be reinforced with the presidential elections held through the parliament. The emergence of election results in this way strengthens the possibility that voters may have cited unresolved internal and external problems that were not inclusive, based on political arrogance.[3]
Kurti, the leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, claimed that he won the elections after the election results and said that the task of forming the new government was given to them by the people. It is not known exactly which political party VV, which does not have the power to form a government on its own, will form a coalition with. Kurti received a similar result in 2021 and had to cooperate with the opposition. Kurti needs 14 more MPs to collect the minimum required 61 seats in the parliament consisting of 120 MPs. In his election victory speech, Kurti also pointed out the possibility of opposition parties coming together and uniting against him.[4]
The upcoming Kosovo government is considered through three scenarios. The first possibility is that Kurti’s party, VV, will come together with small and minority parties and form a government. Many experts are of the opinion that the new government may be formed by Prime Minister Albin Kurti together with non-Serb minorities. The second possibility is a broad coalition that opposition parties will come together to form. Other opposition parties currently entering the parliament have stated that they do not consider the possibility of any cooperation with Prime Minister Kurti’s party, Vetëvendosje. If Kurti, who still has great public support, fails to form a new government, the opposition parties’ efforts to form a government without VV may lead the country into an uncertain and unstable period. The last slim possibility is that Kurti’s party will come together with another major opposition party and form a coalition government.
It is clear that the election results herald an uncertain period in Kosovo. It is unknown whether the parties will be able to come together and form a stable government after a serious polarization in the election campaign. It is also possible that the formation of a government may take until next year’s presidential elections, and that the presidential elections may become a matter of bargaining in coalition talks. If the parties do not agree, early elections will become inevitable.
In conditions where inter-party talks are essential to form a government, domestic political polarization in Kosovo and aggressive relations with Serbia remain fresh. The long-standing anti-government protests in Serbia may also lead Kurti to find more courage. The new United States (US) administration’s termination of foreign aid and its critical view of the Albin Kurti administration led to a rift with its Western partners. It will not be easy for Kurti to establish a new government in the shadow of doubts about the US administration and harsh criticism of Kurti by US President Donald Trump’s previous Special Representative for the Balkans, Richard Grenell.
The sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on Kosovo, as of the half of 2023, on the grounds that it has not improved the unstable situation in the north of the country, have continued until today. Prime Minister Kurti’s falling out with the EU resulted from his insistence on resolving the Serbian minority problems. Although there are problems in bilateral relations with the EU, it is known that there is no deviation in Kosovo’s transatlantic integration. No large-scale violations occurred during the election. This issue has also been on the agenda of the EU. Some comments about the elections held on 9 February by European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos were reflected to the public. According to EU officials, the elections in Kosovo were peaceful and competitive and the electoral process complied with democratic principles. They reminded that the EU will always support Kosovo’s EU integration process.[5]
Kosovo voters, who went to the elections under the shadow of regional uncertainties and concerns about the new US administration, did not allow Prime Minister Kurti to come to power alone, even though he revealed high public support. The coming months, in which we will witness a difficult process in which Kurti will search for a coalition partner, will also give many clues in the context of relations with neighbors and EU integration.
[1] “Kosova’da hangi parti kaç milletvekili alacak?”, Timebalkan, https://timebalkan.com/kosovada-hangi-parti-kac-milletvekili-alacak/, (Date Accessed: 26.02.2025).
[2] “Parlamentswahlen im Kosovo 2025”, IDM, https://www.idm.at/parlamentswahlen-im-kosovo-2025/, (Date Accessed: 27.02.2025).
[3] “Kosovo Elections: A Step Toward Pluralism, but Stability Remains Elusive”, BiEPAG, https://www.biepag.eu/blog/kosovo-elections-a-step-toward-pluralism-but-stability-remains-elusive, (Date Accessed: 25.02.2025).
[4] “Kosovo’s Ruling Vetevendosje Party Claims Victory in Parliamentary Elections”, Balkaninsight, https://balkaninsight.com/2025/02/10/kosovos-ruling-vetevendosje-party-claims-victory-in-parliamentary-elections/, (Date Accessed: 28.02.2025).
[5] “Kallas ve Kos: Kosova demokratik ilkelere bağlılığını gösterdi”, Timebalkan, https://timebalkan.com/kallas-ve-kos-kosova-demokratik-ilkelere-bagliligini-gosterdi/, (Date Accessed: 26.02.2025).
