Kosovo went to the polls on Sunday as Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s nationalist Vetevendosje party sought a majority that could end a prolonged political impasse which has stalled parliament and delayed vital international funding for Europe’s youngest country.
The election is Kosovo’s second this year, after Kurti’s party failed to secure a majority in February. Months of unsuccessful coalition talks led President Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament in November and call an early vote.
Failure to form a new government would extend the political crisis at a critical moment. Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify loan agreements worth 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) from the European Union and the World Bank, which are due to expire in the coming months.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT), with initial official results expected shortly after voting ends.
Opposition parties have refused to enter a coalition with Kurti, criticising his handling of relations with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo’s ethnically divided north, where a Serb minority lives. Kurti has blamed the opposition for prolonging the deadlock.
Leader of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku votes during a snap parliamentary election, nearly a year after a political deadlock that prevented the formation of a new government, in Pristina, Kosovo, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
During the campaign, Kurti pledged an additional month’s salary per year for public sector workers, 1 billion euros annually in capital investment and the creation of a new prosecution unit to combat organised crime. Opposition parties have also focused on improving living standards, a central concern for voters.
A woman votes at a polling station during a snap parliamentary election, nearly a year after a political deadlock that prevented the formation of a new government, in Pristina, Kosovo, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Valdrin Xhemaj
“We want the next government to create conditions for the youth to stay here and not leave,” one voter, 58-year-old Rexhep Karakashi, told Reuters in the capital, Pristina.
Opinion polls are not published in Kosovo, leaving the outcome uncertain. Some voters said they did not expect the election to deliver major change.
“There wouldn’t be great joy if Kurti wins, nor would there be if the opposition wins. This country needs drastic changes, and I don’t see that change coming,” said Edi Krasiqi, a doctor.
After voting in Pristina, Kurti urged citizens to participate, saying higher turnout would strengthen the legitimacy of the next parliament.
“Once the election result is known, we will do everything we know and can to constitute the parliament as soon as possible and to proceed with a new government,” he said.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. backing, following a 1999 NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces. Despite international support, the country has faced persistent challenges including poverty, political instability and organised crime.
Tensions with Serbia escalated in 2023, leading the European Union to impose sanctions on Kosovo. The bloc said this month it would lift them after ethnic Serb mayors were elected in northern municipalities, though the measures are believed to have cost Kosovo hundreds of millions of euros.
