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Kosovo elections: Kurti wins, but loses momentum. Government at risk

The Vetevendosje party remains first, but collapses compared to 2021 and remains far from a majority. The opposition considers an alliance to oust Kurti from power

As expected, the left-wing nationalist party Vetevendosje (Self-Determination, VV) of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti won the parliamentary elections, but the result fell well short of expectations. Whereas in 2021 it had won a triumphant 50.2 per cent, this time it stops below 40 per cent, according to the first official data and exit polls released by the country’s main TV stations.

The Pipos agency, which released the first exit poll just after the polls closed, gives Kurti just over 38%, while Koha TV gives him 42%. The electoral commission, based on the partial counting of 137 polling stations, confirms the decline: Vetevendosje stands at 37.1%. A sharp downsizing, aggravated by the low turnout: only 40% of those eligible went to the polls, compared to 48.8% four years ago.

A difficult government to form

To govern, Kurti needs at least 61 seats out of 120, but early projections stop him at 47, an insufficient number to maintain control of parliament. The opposition is fragmented, but the Democratic Party of Kosovo (Pdk) gets 23 seats, the Democratic League of Kosovo (Ldk) about 20, while the Aak-Nisma-Lkk coalition is between 6 and 7 seats.

Until now, Kurti has ruled with an almost one-party executive, supported by small parties representing ethnic minorities (Egyptians, Bosnians, Roma). With these numbers, however, the risk of instability is very high: without more structured allies, his government may not see the light of day.

And the opposition does not seem willing to lend him a hand. On the contrary, they are reasoning about an alternative coalition to oust Vetevendosje from power. A hypothesis that, with these results, could become reality.

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