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Polls opened in Kosovo on Sunday morning as the Western Balkan country holds another snap election — its third parliamentary vote in just over a year. Public frustration in the Western Balkan country has mounted over persistent political gridlock.
The vote follows months of institutional paralysis. A deeply divided parliament failed to elect a new president in April, worsening a crisis triggered by inconclusive elections in February 2025.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Vetëvendosje party emerged as the largest force in the February 2025 election, but fell short of securing a governing majority, leading to months of political stalemate and a fresh vote in December.
Although Kurti’s party again won the most seats (51.1%, up from 42% in February) and formed a government with the backing of minority representatives, tensions persisted. An opposition boycott of a parliamentary vote to appoint a new president ultimately forced the dissolution of parliament, paving the way for Sunday’s election.
“I don’t think I will vote,” Miranda Fazliu, a computer programmer, told reporters in the capital, Pristina, ahead of the vote. “It’s frustrating to see that the election will likely yield the same result.”
Former President Vjosa Osmani, who is now running for parliament for her former party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), told Euronews: “I am very much hopeful that the people of Kosovo will help us achieve that result by creating a democratic balance among political parties here in Kosovo that will make all political parties sit down with one another and make sure that we achieve an agreement on creating the institutions as soon as possible.”
Of the ongoing stalemate, she said: “It is an unnecessary crisis, a completely unnecessary deadlock, because it is harming the country.”
Analysts warn the latest vote may not break the cycle. Political researcher Ardi Uka said Kosovo appears stuck in a pattern of repeated elections, with little sign of compromise between rival parties.
“The crisis will continue,” Uka said.
Additional sources • AP