PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Voters in Kosovo cast ballots Sunday in an early parliamentary election, the third in less than 18 months, in an attempt to unlock a political impasse in the small Balkan nation, which is striving to join the European Union and NATO.
The ballot was scheduled after the main political parties failed to agree by a March deadline on who should replace former President Vjosa Osmani. The first inconclusive election in February 2025 left the country without a functioning government for much of last year, forcing a second election in December.
The prolonged crisis has negatively affected Kosovo's economy, already hit hard by the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices. Kosovo, one of the youngest and poorest countries in Europe, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, after a 1998-99 war that ended in a NATO bombing that forced Serbia to withdraw.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti's center-left Vetevendosje party has held a clear parliamentary majority since the early election in December. But Kosovo's president is elected by at least 80 lawmakers in the 120-member assembly, requiring a broader political consensus.
Kurti is being challenged by the two main opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo, which have accused him of seeking to impose full control over all political institutions in the country.
"Today is a sunny Sunday, a very important day for democracy in Kosovo," Kurti said after voting. "I hope the people of Kosovo once again will show their maturity as always, with a very high turnout."
Osmani is running on the opposition LDK list in the election, having turned against Kurti after he refused to back her for a second term. Osmani on Sunday expressed "great optimism" that the election will "take us out of the repeated crisis that has damaged our country, both domestically and beyond our borders."
While the key players blamed each other for the crisis, their inability to reach a compromise has fueled disappointment among Kosovo's around 2 million voters, who want the government to focus on the economy and living standards instead.
Analysts still don't expect major changes in the election outcome compared to the previous vote in December.
Arton Smajli, 42, a resident of the capital, Pristina, said that "we are tired, but the will for change is greater than that."
Sejdi Shala, 73, is also optimistic that the election will bring "stability of the institutions and the society."
The institutional vacuum, without a stable government, has delayed access to the EU and other international funds available to the country. European Council President António Costa, during a visit last week, urged Kosovo to end the political stalemate and unite over the goal of EU integration.
Kosovo has been recognized by the United States and most EU countries, but not by Serbia and its allies, Russia and China. Pristina and Belgrade have been told that they must mend relations to move forward with their EU membership bids.
