Kosovo’s parliament was dissolved after it failed to elect a president before the Constitutional Court’s deadline, triggering snap parliamentary elections in June — the third nationwide vote since February 2026. Because no president had been chosen by April 28, lawmakers were unable to meet the constitutional threshold and the assembly was dissolved, forcing a fresh ballot.
The impasse reflects an unresolved dispute between Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his Self-Determination (Vetevendosje) movement and the opposition over a joint presidential candidate. Vetevendosje, which had taken roughly 5% of the vote in the December 2025 snap election, could not agree with other parties on a consensus nominee. With the assembly dissolved, the government Kurti formed in February now remains in office only in a caretaker capacity.
A public split between Kurti and former president Vjosa Osmani intensified the crisis. Osmani, who served as president from 2021 until early April 2026, intended to run for a second five-year term but failed to secure Kurti’s backing. Kurti did not say he would actively oppose her but argued he could not guarantee more than about 66 votes — the combined total of his party, its coalition partners and non-Serb minority deputies — while a presidential election requires at least 80 votes in the 120-seat assembly.
Osmani has said Kurti initially promised support and lauded her performance as “the best president of the 21st century,” but later informed her that Vetevendosje and he personally would no longer back her candidacy. At an extraordinary session on April 28, Kurti put forward civil-society doctor and human-rights activist Feride Rushiti as his nominee; opposition parties boycotted the vote.
Analysts say the Kurti-Osmani partnership was never fully natural. Naim Rashiti of the Balkans Policy Research Group called their cooperation an ad hoc electoral arrangement, noting both figures are ambitious, competitive and often diverge on foreign policy. Rashiti said the president sometimes took the lead on international issues without thorough coordination, at times acting to contain political damage.
Ehat Miftaraj of the Kosovo Law Institute (IKD) described Kurti as the less predictable actor and Osmani as comparatively more cooperative with international partners. Kurti’s confrontational posture, Miftaraj said, has raised questions about the coherence and consistency of Kosovo’s foreign policy.
The prolonged lack of institutional stability has slowed reforms Kosovo needs to meet EU conditions and has impeded the EU-brokered dialogue with Serbia. While frequent elections demonstrate functioning democratic mechanisms, analysts warn they limit Kosovo’s ability to advance strategic priorities. Miftaraj said the country is expending political energy on internal crises rather than on EU integration, weakening its negotiating position with Serbia and reducing focus on rule of law and reform. Under the EU’s new Growth Plan, Kosovo — already trailing regional peers — risks losing hundreds of millions of euros in potential support if it fails to make progress.
This article was translated from German.