Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party wins Kosovo vote but falls short of majority
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party won the most votes in a snap election Sunday marked by low turnout, but not enough to govern alone, with tough talks ahead to form a coalition, nearly complete results showed.
In Kosovo's third election in just over a year, Kurti's Vetevendosje party won nearly 43 per cent of the vote, according to results from almost all polling stations.
But it falls short of the previous election in December, when the party garnered 51 per cent.
It is not enough to allow Vetevendosje to form the next government on its own, suggesting challenging coalition talks ahead.
The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) garnered 21 and 17 per cent of the vote respectively.
The election was held as voter frustration mounts at grinding political gridlock in Europe's youngest country.
Kosovo's polarised parliament failed to elect a president in April, deepening a political crisis that has gripped the country since inconclusive parliamentary elections in February 2025.
"Enough is enough," retired teacher Gezim Selimi told AFP after casting his vote in the capital Pristina.
"I expect parties to finally come to their senses and work for Kosovo, instead of wasting time fighting for power through one snap election after another."
Despite topping the polls in the February 2025 vote, Kurti's party fell short of the majority needed to form a government, triggering months of bitter division among MPs and eventually forcing a snap election in December.
Vetevendosje party – which blends a leftist agenda with fervent nationalism – again topped the vote, and joined with ethnic minority MPs to form a government.
But an opposition boycott of the vote to replace the outgoing president eventually sank the parliament.
Addressing hundreds of his supporters at the Pristina central square at midnight, Kurti stressed it was his party's fourth election victory in a row since 2021.
"This is the confirmation that at least this decade, and I believe longer, will be the decade of Vetevendosje's government," Kurti said.
Read more Kosovo parliament elects Albin Kurti as PM, ending year-long political deadlock
Low turnout
"I don't think I will vote. It's frustrating to see that the election will yield the same result," computer programmer Miranda Fazliu told AFP ahead of the election, echoing the view of many voters.
Kurti on Sunday called on citizens to turn out in large numbers.
"Higher turnout will turn into higher legitimacy and stability for institutions of our republic," he said after casting his ballot in Pristina.
But turnout was less than 37 per cent, official figures showed. In the December vote, it was around eight percentage points higher.
Experts say lawmakers' inability to work across political divides means the latest vote is unlikely to solve anything, and predict the crisis will continue.
Safet Gerxhaliu, a university lecturer, said the problem had become "systemic" and the "institutions are on the verge of collapse".
"It is definitely the biggest crisis in Kosovo since the declaration of independence" from Serbia in 2008, he said.
The rolling election cycles come amid a rise in living costs, which are felt acutely by voters in one of Europe's poorest countries.
"Life has become more expensive. You can see that for a single visit to the shop," said painter Faton Kryeziu, with a gallery full of work he is struggling to sell.
Election costs
The cost of Sunday's vote was estimated at more than 10 million euros ($11.5 million), excluding campaign spending by political parties.
The total cost of elections has increased fivefold when two national and two local elections held in 2025 are added.
"Political parties have shown a lot of immaturity as we are not a wealthy enough country to hold two elections every year," said retired judge Virgjina Dumnica.
Local doctor Nexhmedin Osmani agreed that the cost was particularly frustrating for a country that still sees many of its youth move abroad in hopes of finding a job.