The snap parliamentary elections held in Kosovo ended with a great political success for the ruling Party of Identity. The party, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, received 49.8% of the votes, according to the Central Election Commission in Prishtina. This result was announced after the vote count at almost all polling stations.
As a result, "Identification" will occupy about half of the seats in the new convocation of parliament and, in cooperation with representatives of ethnic minorities, can form a stable majority in the government. Local observers and the koha.net portal also cite this scenario as a possibility.
With the announcement of the victory, a festive atmosphere reigned on the streets of Prishtina. According to the dpa news agency, party supporters rode around the city in motorcades, honking their horns, and the night sky was illuminated by fireworks. Albin Kurti assessed the electoral process as "honest, democratic, and free," emphasizing that the new mandate places even greater responsibility on the government. According to him, the main task now is to "continuously continue the work that has been successfully started."
In the opposition camp, however, the balance of power lags far behind. The Democratic Party of Kosovo took second place with 21% of the vote, and the Democratic League of Kosovo took third place with 13.6%. In fourth place is the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, led by former Prime Minister Ramush Kharadinay, who showed a result of 7.6%.
In the 120-seat parliamentary system, 10 separate seats were allocated for the Serbian minority, and another 10 mandates were guaranteed for other ethnic groups. This is a mechanism aimed at maintaining a multi-ethnic balance within the national parliament.
Notably, this is the second parliamentary elections held in Kosovo since the beginning of the year. After the regular elections on 9 February, Courthy failed to achieve success in forming a coalition with opposition parties and did not secure an absolute majority. The extraordinary voting allowed him to further strengthen his political position.
The government of Albin Kurti is currently pursuing a strict policy towards the Serbian minority living in northern Kosovo. In particular, the use of the Serbian dinar, as well as social payments and money transfers made through Belgrade, is restricted. These decisions were criticized by the European Union and the US and further strained relations between Pristina and Belgrade.
In response, the European Union suspended financing for some projects in Kosovo and demanded a reduction in tension in the northern regions to restore them. The US has also frozen USAID-funded programs for 90 days.
At the same time, in mid-December, Kosovo officially applied for EU membership. Western countries openly state to Kosovo and Serbia that the prospects for European integration are directly linked to the stabilization of bilateral relations. So far, five EU member states - Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, and Romania, as well as Serbia and Russia - have not recognized Kosovo's independence.
In conclusion, the snap elections gave Albin Kurti and the "Identification" party a strong political mandate. However, this victory, along with new opportunities for Kosovo, is also ushering in a period of internal stability and more sensitive decision-making in international relations.
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