Political Gamble

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s party claimed the most seats in Sunday’s parliamentary elections but fell short of the outright majority needed to govern, prompting concerns of a political deadlock, Reuters reported.

Kurti’s center-left Vetëvendosje (Self-Determination) party won more than 40 seats out of the 120 of the parliament, the BBC reported.

The center-right Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), founded by former fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, came in second with 22 percent of the vote, followed by the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) with 18 percent. Coming in fourth is the center-right Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) with eight percent.

The Vetëvendosje party is strongly nationalist and opposes Serbian influence in the country. Kurti’s effort to extend government control in the ethnic-Serb majority region in northern Kosovo increased his party’s popularity, but it was criticized by the European Union and the US, the country’s main supporters, Agence France Presse noted.

In ethnic Serb areas, the Serbia-backed party Srpska Lista (Serb List) is expected to dominate over other Serb parties and win the majority of the 10 seats allotted in parliament to Kosovo’s Serb minority, as per the Balkan country’s constitution.

Kurti’s party gained power in 2021 and is the first to finish its term in office since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

The EU and the US recognized Kosovo’s independence, while Serbia – backed by Russia – and most ethnic Serbs residing in Kosovo have refused to do so.

Still, observers noted that the results underscore the political uncertainty in the Balkan country, as Kurti will need to create a coalition to govern.

The prime minister – who previously ruled out forming a coalition – has not commented about who he plans to ask to join his coalition government. In his victory speech, he accused the opposition of being “animals” and “thieves” ready to make a deal “with the devil” against his government.

His new term will also face a series of major hurdles, with US aid frozen and EU funding cuts still in place nearly two years later. He’s also under pressure to boost wages, pensions, and public services while tackling poverty, according to the Associated Press.