On the 13th of September, the Kosovo parliament re-elected Albin Kurti—whose party secured the most support in the June elections—as Prime Minister; however, the failure to elect a president could trigger snap elections, reports Reuters.
Before the vote, Kurti stated that his mandate was to restore security and prosperity for Kosovo’s citizens, noting that repeated elections had only hindered the work of the very government that has now been re-elected.
In late August, Kurti reached an agreement with the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK)—which holds 18 parliamentary seats—to support law professor Bekim Sejdiu as the new president; however, just a day later, six LDK MPs announced their disagreement with their party leader’s decision. It is now unclear when the vote for the presidency might take place. If the parliament fails to elect a president, Kosovo will be forced to hold another snap election—the fourth in two years.
Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
It aspires to join the European Union, but Brussels regularly reminds the country that it needs stable institutions capable of implementing the necessary reforms for Kosovo to become part of the bloc.
The unstable political situation has delayed reforms and slowed access to EU funds. Electing a president requires the support of two-thirds of the members of parliament.
Two opposition parties—the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Alliance—boycotted the session and announced they would ask the Constitutional Court to review whether the country’s constitution was violated during the formation of the parliament. The LDK also did not participate in the vote on the new government.
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